19/03/2021 (Agence Europe) – The Commission launched, on 19 March, a public consultation on further measures to be taken at EU level to fight migrant smuggling. The consultation calls for reactions to new actions on information exchange, police and judicial cooperation, digital trafficking (involving the use of social networks), prevention and awareness-raising, cooperation with non-Member States and international organisations, and the protection of migrants’ rights, says a statement. It is open until 14 May and will feed into the EU’s next action plan against migrant smuggling for the period 2021-2025. Commissioner Ylva Johansson recalled in a blog post that 1,400 people died at sea in 2020 and already 290 in 2021. Since 2014, this number has risen to 20,000 people. Link to the consultation: http://bit.ly/3s3oM4d (SP)