European partners urged to develop sanctions to smash people smuggling gangs
European partners must work together to develop sanctions that will disrupt the business models of people smuggling gangs and protect vulnerable people from exploitation, the UK has said.
Speaking at a meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers in Brussels, Home Secretary Suella Braverman called for a “comprehensive approach” to tackling the issue, including targeted sanctions against individuals and entities involved in people smuggling.
She said that the UK is “leading the way” in this area, having already imposed sanctions on a number of individuals and entities involved in people smuggling.
“People smuggling is a cruel and dangerous crime that puts lives at risk,” she said. “We must do everything we can to disrupt the business models of these gangs and protect vulnerable people from exploitation.”
The Home Secretary also called for increased cooperation between European countries on intelligence sharing and joint operations to tackle people smuggling.
She said: “We need to work together to close down the routes used by people smugglers and to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice.”
The meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers was called to discuss a number of issues, including people smuggling, migration, and counter-terrorism.
The UK is a member of the EU, but is not part of the Schengen Area, which allows for free movement of people between 26 European countries.
As a result, the UK has its own border controls and is responsible for its own immigration policy. However, the UK does work closely with EU partners on a number of security and law enforcement issues.
People smuggling is a global problem, but it is particularly acute in Europe, where there are a number of major routes used by people smugglers to bring people into the EU.
In 2022, there were over 100,000 irregular crossings of the English Channel, the highest number on record.
The UK government has said that it is committed to tackling people smuggling and has pledged to spend £50 million on new measures to disrupt the gangs involved in this crime.
European partners urged to develop sanctions to smash people smuggling gangs
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