On Tuesday 20 May, the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties approved by 56 votes to 10, with 3 abstentions, a proposal for a regulation giving Europol new tools to combat and investigate the smuggling of migrants and human trafficking, in cooperation with the EU's national authorities.
This regulation is part of the migration ‘facilitation’ package proposed for 2023, which contains another directive on criminalising the trafficking of migrants (see EUROPE 13302/11).
The report by Jeroen Lenaers (EPP, Dutch) approves a European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling (ECAMS) officially created within Europol to support investigations between EU countries. It would bring together a representative from each Member State and permanent representatives from Eurojust and Frontex.
To consolidate the Centre, Europol will benefit from an additional budget of €50 million for the period 2025-2027, and 50 additional staff.
The draft regulation aims to strengthen Europol’s role and inter-agency cooperation in the fight against the smuggling of migrants and human trafficking, in particular by increasing the obligation of Member States to share information with Europol. The Commission had also proposed that Europol should be able to deploy more officers on the ground to combat people smugglers, including in third countries.
Europol will also be able to receive information from immigration liaison officers in third countries.
In their draft report, however, the MEPs reject the Commission’s proposal to codify in law Europol’s operational deployments and task forces.
The Commission had proposed strengthening Europol’s support for preventing and combating the smuggling of migrants and human trafficking by means of operational task forces and Europol deployments for operational support purposes.
“It is proposed to codify and further develop the operational task force concept and to establish a new tool in the form of Europol deployments for operational support purposes, as advanced coordination tools and analytical, operational, technical and forensic support, at the request of the Member States or at the proposal of the Executive Director of Europol”, wrote the Commission.
The proposal provided for the creation of a pool of experts working in their respective Member States, who could be immediately made available to Europol for deployments. It was also proposed that third countries should also be able to participate in operational task forces and that Europol deployments for operational support purposes should be able to take place in third countries, the text explained.
The European Parliament did not retain this provision. The Council of the EU, which adopted its mandate in June 2024 (see EUROPE 13435/23), provides that Europol may, exceptionally and after approval by its Management Board, deploy seconded national staff and experts to third countries with which it cooperates, on the basis of an adequacy decision.
And the EU Council had indicated that Europol should set up a purely voluntary reserve of personnel for Europol deployments for operational support purposes.
Negotiations with the Council of the EU were also authorised by 58 votes in favour, 9 against and 3 abstentions.
Text links: https://aeur.eu/f/gx8 ; https://aeur.eu/f/gx9 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)