European Commissioner calls for Council and Parliament to act urgently against human trafficking networks

European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, is calling for urgent action from the Council and Parliament to combat human trafficking networks. He plans to use an extraordinary meeting of the European Parliament's Committee on Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) to push lawmakers to "revive" a directive aimed at imposing stricter penalties on smuggling rings.

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The tools are on the table. Now Parliament and the Council must act without delay.

"The tools are on the table. Now Parliament and the Council must act without delay," Brunner stated, emphasizing that Europe must demonstrate its commitment to investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to justice those who profit from exploiting vulnerable individuals. The crisis in Ceuta, where tens of thousands of people arrived from Morocco, served as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by smugglers.

The European Commission put forward a directive in 2023 to increase penalties for trafficking networks, and EU member states have already agreed on a negotiating position. However, the directive has stalled because political groups in Parliament are divided on whether the proposed legislation adequately protects humanitarian aid providers from criminalization. Civil society groups have also warned that the proposal risks criminalizing migrants themselves.

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Europe must show that those who exploit vulnerable people for profit will be investigated, prosecuted, and brought to justice.

Brunner described the events in Ceuta as a test of the EU's resilience and border security, stressing the need for the Union to draw the right conclusions and strengthen its response. The meeting will also include Spanish ministers for the Interior and for Inclusion and Migration, as well as the president of the autonomous city of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas Lara, to exchange views on the current situation and lessons learned.

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The loss of life in Ceuta is a reminder that migrant smugglers profit from human misery and endanger lives.