{"id":1356,"date":"2019-03-27T04:16:11","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T04:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportsnewsforyou.com\/?p=1356"},"modified":"2019-03-27T04:16:11","modified_gmt":"2019-03-27T04:16:11","slug":"migrant-smuggling-to-the-eu-the-need-for-a-coordinated-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/?p=1356","title":{"rendered":"Migrant smuggling to the EU \u2013 the need for a coordinated response"},"content":{"rendered":"

A wooden boat that carried 80 refugees during their flight from Libya to Europe can be seen at the exhibition at the state museum in Hanover, Germany, 6 April 2017. Peter Steffen\/Press Association. All rights reserved.Migrant smuggling has emerged as one of the
\nmost profitable and widespread criminal activities for organised crime in the
\nEU. The profits generated reach billions of euros every year and the demand for
\nfacilitation services remains high. Migrant smuggling is now a large,
\nprofitable and sophisticated criminal market; almost all irregular migrants
\nentering the EU resort to paid facilitation services at some point of their
\njourney. <\/i><\/p>\n

\n<\/h2>\n

Who are the
\nsmugglers? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Migrant smuggling to the EU is organised and
\ncontrolled by sophisticated criminal groups displaying unprecedented levels of
\norganisation and coordination. Present all along the migratory routes,
\nsmugglers act in networks; this allows them to offer tailored services at the
\nvarious steps of the process, from transport and accommodation in origin and
\ntransit countries to assistance for the legalisation of the stay once the final
\ndestination has been reached. <\/p>\n

The networks generally bring together various
\nEU and non-EU nationalities, making migrant smuggling a truly multi-national
\nbusiness. Smugglers from over 122 nationalities have so far been identified.[1]
\nThe groups are often poly-criminal, also engaging in other criminal activities
\nsuch as trafficking in human beings, drug trafficking, fraud or organised
\nproperty crime. <\/p>\n

Why are they
\na threat to the EU?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Migrant smuggling networks are highly
\nflexible and quickly adapt to changes in their environment. They are well aware
\nof existing policies and business opportunities and adjust their modus operandi
\naccordingly. They do so by shifting routes and means of transport, but also the
\ntype of service they offer. For example, migrant smugglers increasingly rely on
\nsocial media to advertise their services; they also use ride-sharing
\napplications and peer-to-peer accommodation platforms to cover their
\nactivities. Such resilience and adaptability mean that law enforcement agencies
\nmust develop innovative investigation techniques and constantly be on the look out
\nfor new developments. <\/p>\n

A key part of the migrant smuggling business
\nmodel is supplying fraudulent documents used by irregular migrants to enter the
\nEU, circulate between Member States or legalise their residence status. The
\ntypes of documents on offer vary from genuine passport and identity cards
\nrented to look-alike individuals to fraudulent travel documents or breeder
\ndocuments (e.g. false work contract or marriage records) used to apply for
\ngenuine visas, residency status or work permits. As the quality of the
\ndocuments is improving they become more difficult to detect for the
\nauthorities. This makes it more difficult to control the entries and creates
\nthe risk that potentially dangerous individuals might use this opportunity to
\nenter the EU undetected. <\/p>\n

Migrant smuggling is a highly profitable
\ncriminal activity featuring sustained high levels of demand and relatively low
\nlevels of risk. As a result, more and more actors are turning to this activity,
\nsometimes blurring the lines between legal and illegal activities. Individual
\ncriminal entrepreneurs use opportunities offered by modern communication tools
\nto offer ad-hoc services such as transportation or accommodation; they are
\nopportunistic and tend to step in and out of the business quite quickly. We
\nalso see that Organised Crime Groups (OGCs) who were until now active in other
\nfields are increasingly turning to migrant smuggling; they use their contacts
\nand criminal resources to infiltrate this market and generate additional
\nincomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last but not least, it should not be
\nforgotten that although they might present themselves as \u2018service providers<\/em>\u2019, migrant smuggling networks are not tour
\noperators. Their core business is to exploit the vulnerability and hopes of
\nmigrants for their own financial gain. The high fees imposed may result in debt
\nbondage that can lead to longterm exploitation after the migrant has arrived at
\nhis or her destination. Reports of emotional and physical abuse are common,
\nparticularly when it comes to women or minors. Finally the conditions in which
\nmigrants are transported often pose a direct threat to their safety. In 2016,
\n5098 people died in the Mediterranean alone;[2]
\nthis year, we have already reached 649 deaths.[3]
\nThis cannot be tolerated. <\/p>\n

What can be
\ndone to address these threats?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tackling the threats emerging from the
\nmigratory crisis is not an easy task. Many different aspects come into play and
\nmust be considered. This includes the push factors in departing countries; our
\nborder and internal security policies; as well as our approach towards legal
\nmigration, relocation and returns. The complexity and scale of the threat
\nrequires a comprehensive answer. In addition, considering the diversity of
\nstakeholders involved, from national authorities to EU institutions and
\ninternational organisations, it is imperative that efforts be coordinated. <\/p>\n

Europol has a crucial role to play in that
\nregard. Indeed, since it became operational in 1999, Europol has been an
\nimportant centre for law enforcement expertise in Europe. It is a key criminal
\ninformation hub providing intelligence and direct operational support to law
\nenforcement across (and beyond) the EU. <\/p>\n

The European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC),
\nhosted at Europol, was launched in February 2016 to facilitate the cooperation
\nbetween all stakeholders and give Member States a platform for information
\nexchange and operational coordination. Within less than a year, data on over
\n17,400 suspected smugglers was submitted and the centre helped launch over
\n2,500 new international investigations.[4]
\nThe EMSC works closely with our other centres, the European Counter Terrorism
\nCentre (ECTC) and the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), to build synergies
\nbetween national and European experts across all relevant areas. In addition to
\nproviding analytical and operational support, Europol is therefore present in
\nthe Italian and Greek hotspots together with the EU Regional Task Force to
\nperform secondary security checks aimed at detecting potential terrorist
\nnetworks. Through the EU Internet Referral Unit, we also take an active role in
\ndisrupting online recruitment and smuggling services by monitoring their social
\nmedia activity and working with industry partners for their removal.<\/p>\n

The Malta Declaration made in February 2017
\nby the heads of state and governments of the EU is a key instrument in taking
\nthis cooperation further and ensuring that all aspects of the question are
\naddressed. It promotes an integrated approach in which all relevant
\nstakeholders are to join forces to address specific operational needs. It also
\nhas a strong focus on addressing root causes and improving the capabilities of
\nlocal authorities dealing with the various aspects of migration in the
\ndeparture and transit countries. <\/p>\n

Europol particularly welcomes the forward
\nlooking approach laid down in Malta. We are now actively working, in close
\ncooperation with our partners, to fulfil those important objectives. Due to our
\nmandate, our primary focus naturally is the disruption of smuggling networks;
\nother organisations are better suited when it comes to improving reception
\ncapacities or supporting socio-economic development in source countries.\u00a0 EMSC is pursuing its efforts to improve the
\nintelligence picture on migrant smuggling, close the intelligence gaps and increase
\nthe information exchange between law enforcement and other stakeholders (in
\nparticular with naval missions and the private sector). <\/p>\n

We are also looking into possibilities to
\nincrease our cooperation with key partners in the region. A lot has already
\nbeen achieved regarding cooperation with EU Common Security and Defence Policy
\n(CSDP)
\nmissions and operations (especially EUNAVFOR);
\nwe are now aiming at increased cooperation with the countries neighbouring
\nLibya. <\/p>\n

\n

[1]
\nEU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2017.<\/p>\n

[2]
\nIOM missing migrants project.<\/p>\n

[3]
\nIOM Missing Migrant project \u2013 27 March 2017.<\/p>\n

[4]
\nEuropean Migrant Smuggling Centre, First Year Activity Report.<\/p>\n

The 2017 CEPS Ideas Lab \u2013 a
\nkey annual event on EU policy organised by the Brussels-based think tank, the
\nCentre for European Policy Studies \u2013 asked how such core EU challenges as
\nRights & Security can be implemented with respect for the EU rule of law
\nand fundamental rights. Cooperating with openDemocracy, we bring the resulting
\ndebates to this dedicated page.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A wooden boat that carried 80 refugees during their flight from Libya to Europe can be seen at the exhibition at the state museum in Hanover, Germany, 6 April 2017. Peter Steffen\/Press Association. All rights reserved.Migrant smuggling has emerged as one of the most profitable and widespread criminal activities for organised crime in the EU….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1356\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}