Brussels, 28 November 2023 (MIA) - Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski is attending on Tuesday an International Conference of the Global Alliance to Combat Migrant Smuggling, organized by the European Commission. 

Spasovski is set to address a panel on "Response to migrant smuggling", MIA's Brussels correspondent reports.

Aiming to strengthen international cooperation against migrant smuggling, the conference brings together representatives from Member States, key partner countries as well as international organisations. Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Olivier Várhelyi and Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen are also attending.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will address the opening session of the conference, which also includes panels on "Prevention of migrant smuggling" and "Alternatives to irregular migration as a key deterrent for smuggling". 

The conference will wrap up with Endorsement of Call to Action and closing session to be addressed by Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and Spain's Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, said the European Commission.   

The Commission will present on Tuesday new legislation on countering migrant smuggling, which covers a Directive laying down minimum rules on the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and stay in the EU, and a Regulation to reinforce Europol’s role and inter-agency cooperation in the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. 

"Together, these initiatives set out the new legal, operational and international cooperation framework against migrant smuggling for the years to come," the European Commission notes. 

EC President Ursula von der Leyen stated in her State of the Union Address in September 2023 that migration requires constant work, which is nowhere more vital than in the fight against human smugglers who "attract desperate people with their lies. And put them on deadly routes across the desert, or on boats that are unfit for the sea".  

"We need to work with our partners to tackle this global plague of human trafficking. This is why the Commission will organise an International Conference on fighting people smuggling. It is time to put an end to this callous and criminal business," von der Leyen said in the address, announcing the conference. 

According to the European Commission, migrant smuggling is a global criminal activity, as poverty, social and political instability, as well as the limited availability of legal migration routes, push people towards criminal networks to facilitate their unauthorised entry, transit or stay in the EU.

"These journeys can be extremely dangerous, and smugglers frequently expose migrants to both life-threatening risks and violence. The loss of lives as a result of migrant smuggling demands an assertive and urgent response at EU and global level," the European Commission said in a press release on the conference. 

According to EU data, there were 331,000 irregular entries at EU external borders in 2022, of which 90% come through smugglers. In 2022, Europol has reported 15,000 smugglers. 

Photo: MIA archive