The EU Council Presidency wants to assess all the security implications of the arrival of millions of people from Ukraine in the EU, such as the increase of cyber attacks in the EU or new threats related to arms trafficking. These observations were summarised in a note from the Standing Committee on Internal Security (COSI) on 31 March.
The Presidency again mentions the risks of exploitation of women and children, especially unaccompanied ones, for sexual or labour exploitation, as already exists in peacetime. The IOM and Europol have warned of these risks to vulnerable people.
Attention should also be paid to other types of threats such as “the infiltration of criminals into the EU, including terrorists”, who might use falsified identity documents. It is possible that criminal organisations “may seek to take advantage of the circumstances to expand their illicit activities or pursue them outside their traditional area of operation”, the document emphasizes, with organisational leaders taking advantage of flows to enter Schengen.
“Furthermore, war is conducive to the circulation of weapons, some of which could enter the European Union to be used for criminal purposes”. Trafficking in abandoned or stolen private vehicles and their spare parts, belonging to displaced persons from Ukraine, is also “a major problem”.
With regard to hybrid threats, such as cyber attacks on critical infrastructure or the dissemination of false information, “some Member States have reported an increase in the number of malicious attacks against digital infrastructure. Although it is not yet possible to establish a causal link between the war in Ukraine and these attacks, it is important to remain vigilant”, recommends the Presidency.
As Ukraine is also a country with a high incidence of heroin use and a transit country for heroin from Afghanistan, public health risks should also be taken into account.
Link to the note: https://aeur.eu/f/13n (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)