The third International Conference on migrant smuggling highlighted the importance of international cooperation and coordination between law enforcement, judicial authorities, and international partners, as well as the need to uphold human-rights standards in all actions to counter migrant smuggling.
The event, co-organised by the Council of Europe Committee on crime problems (CDPC) and the Division on migration and refugees (DMR), brought together senior officials, prosecutors, policymakers, and experts from international organisations and civil society to address current challenges and policy responses related to migrant smuggling. It was followed by the fourth meeting of the Council of Europe Network of prosecutors on migrant smuggling.
Palermo Protocol is key
In his opening speech, Michael O'Flaherty, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe highlighted the planned preparation of a Recommendation by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers on deterring and combating migrant smuggling and he urged participants to work to ensure that human rights considerations remain central to this process.
The Commissioner spoke about the human-rights risks inherent in externalised border control detailed in his recent report on this topic. He also warned against the criminalisation of humanitarian activity: "That is a practice that has got to stop. And in terms of how you proceed, the solution is a simple one: make sure to embrace the Palermo Protocol definition of smuggler, which excludes those who are not working for gain or for profit."
He further called for renewed efforts to expand safe and legal migration pathways, describing them as the best way to bring about a significant reduction in irregular migration.
Council of Europe conventions to the forefront
Over the two days, participants exchanged views on practical challenges in implementing international and national instruments, shared experiences from member and partner states, and discussed the forthcoming recommendation. In addition to the presence of Council of Europe member- and partner-state representatives, contributors included representatives from the United Nations Office on drugs and crime (UNODC), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the European Commission, EUROPOL, INTERPOL, and the European Union Agency for fundamental rights (FRA). Civil-society organisations also contributed to the discussions.
In his closing remarks, Gianluca Esposito, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe, highlighted that the future recommendation will complement the United Nations Palermo Protocol and take into account ongoing normative work within the European Union.
"No country alone can face the rapidly evolving global crime of migrant smuggling," he said. "The Council of Europe encourages its member states to make full use of the Organisation's robust legal architecture to tackle migrant smuggling and related, intertwined crimes - including those covered by the Council's conventions on mutual legal assistance, extradition, cybercrime, human trafficking, and money laundering."
Third International Conference on migrant smuggling