EU support to strengthen the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings in the Western Balkans (EU4FAST-WB)

The Overall Objective of the Action is to strengthen the rule of law in the Western Balkans. The Specific Objective of the Action is to improve the conditions for preventing and combatting migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings in the Western Balkans. The Action has the following components (in the Description of Action called outputs):

• Component (output) 1: The ability of Western Balkan law enforcement and judicial authorities to combat migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings is strengthened;
• Component (output) 2: The ability of Western Balkan law enforcement actors to cooperate with Member States as well as JHA Agencies and non-EU law enforcement actors in activities related to migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings including through the active participation in EMPACT is increased;
• Component (output) 3: The ability of Western Balkan authorities and frontline workers to identify and provide protection to (potential) victims of trafficking in human beings and refer them to competent state and non-state assistance and support services is improved;
• Component (output) 4: The capacity of border authorities of the Western Balkans to prevent and counter migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings in line with EU standards and human rights is strengthened;
  By implementing the four components (outputs) in a coherent and comprehensive way, the expectations is that this will lead to a better response by law enforcement agencies, judicial authorities, border police, frontline workers and authorities responsible for providing assistance to victims of smuggling and THB towards the challenges of migration related criminal activities. This will hopefully be manifested in more successful investigations and prosecutions against OCG’s involved in these types of crime, more efficient referral mechanisms and better protection of victims of these crimes, an improved border management and an intensified cooperation between the Western Balkans and European Union in EMPACT and other related LEA and judicial cooperation mechanisms to fight migrant smuggling and THB. At an overall level, the anticipated impact of the Action would be that the readiness of the Western Balkans on the fight against organised crime is increased.

CILC will be working in specific work packages under two outputs of the Action:

• Component (output) 1: The ability of Western Balkan law enforcement and judicial authorities to combat migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings is strengthened

This aims at strengthening Western Balkan law enforcement and judicial authorities’ abilities to combat migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. By improving capacities to lead complex investigations, prosecutions and trials, by improving inter-services cooperation at the operational, tactical and strategic level, and by developing a holistic understanding of migrant smuggling and THB in the region and fostering intra-regional cooperation on related investigations and prosecutions, the central building blocks for combatting migrant smuggling and THB are put in place. This is based on the assumptions that improved capacities of law enforcement and judicial authorities lead to a higher number of prosecutions charges and, finally, convictions in THB and migrant smuggling cases. The specific indicator is an increase in additional migrant smuggling and THB cases that have been accepted for trial.

• Component (output) 2: The ability of Western Balkan law enforcement actors to cooperate with Member States as well as JHA Agencies and non-EU law enforcement actors in activities related to migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings including through the active participation in European Multi-disciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threat (EMPACT) is increased.

This aims at increasing capacities of Western Balkan law enforcement actors to cooperate with Member States as well as JHA agencies and non-EU law enforcement actors in activities related to migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings through the active participation in EMPACT. If cooperation with EU law enforcement, be it with EU agencies or EU MS institutions, is enhanced the fight against migrant smuggling and THB is substantially improved. This is based on the assumption that the efforts in the Western Balkans in combatting migrant smuggling and THB are of high relevance for the EU since the Western Balkans are among the main countries of transit of victims of trafficking in human beings identified in the EU. Also, the instruments developed and applied by the EU, its JHA agencies and MS provide unique and strong opportunities for cooperation and collaboration, which is essential in the fight against migrant smuggling and THB. The specific indicator is an increase of operational actions in the area of THB, Criminal Finance, Money Laundering and Asset Recovery and High Risk Criminal Networks in which the Western Balkan authorities participate and in which they are accepted as (co-leaders).