Video: https://youtu.be/KQEs8aKV8PI
Opening Remarks
Honourable Members,
Thank you for this opportunity to discuss with you the very important and sensitive issue of Trafficking in Human Beings.
The European Parliament has been a strong and consistent supporter of our efforts to deal with this odious and appalling crime.
It is a crime that takes advantage of the vulnerability and exploits the desperation of people in need of protection and support.
As you know, trafficking is a priority for us, as reflected both in the European Agendas for Migration and of Security.
Europe has globally a leading role in this field;
We have developed a coherent and coordinated, legal and policy framework to address trafficking in human beings.
The Anti-trafficking Directive and the 2012-2016 EU Strategy has been our main instruments to develop, coordinate and implement our policy framework priorities.
Having delivered on the vast majority of actions envisaged in the Strategy, we don't feel that our job is done: quite the opposite.
We cannot accept that, irrespectively of origin, there are still, and unfortunately more, children, women, vulnerable people trafficked, abused and exploited.
These are victims of the immoral and inhuman profit-making face of our societies.
Now, that the 2012-2016 Strategy has come to an end, the time has come to step up our efforts and continue delivering more intensively and in a more focused way.
To this end, the support and contribution of this House is of outmost importance.
The migration crisis and transnational security threats render people more vulnerable to criminal networks and exploitation.
That is why more needs to be done:
- to target the organised criminal networks and follow the money throughout the trafficking chain, - to focus more on the prevention, better identification and protection of victims,
- to further strengthen the coordination at EU level and
- to ensure more coherence in the external and internal dimensions of our anti-traffcking policy.
Criminal networks target and exploit the most vulnerable ones: recent data indicate that the vast majority of victims are female and children.
The most widespread form of exploitation is sexual exploitation with mainly women and young girls as victims.
That is why, the anti-trafficking Directive has a strong gender-specific dimension, and that is why we have also commissioned a study on the Gender Dimensions of Trafficking in Human Beings.
It is also of major importance to increase our cooperation with third countries and further streamline our anti-trafficking priorities in the external dimension of our policies.
Honourable Members of the European Parliament, The two distinct notions of trafficking and smuggling are being often confused.
However, it is not only a matter of correct use of terminology.
It is also about ensuring a victim-centred and human rights based approach.
Allow me to clarify here that:
- smuggling is a cross-border activity, while trafficking can also take place within the borders of a state;
- in smuggling there is consent of the smuggled person,
while in trafficking there is not; - the exploitation of the vulnerable victim for profit-making is an essential element in trafficking.
These differences bear significant implications for the rights of the victims of trafficking and the respective obligations of Member States.
I would like to ensure you that the respective EU legislative frameworks on smuggling and trafficking will remain clear and consistent in any future policy initiative.
Regarding the two reports based on the Anti-trafficking Directive, presented by the Commission last December, we will continue to proactively monitor the situation in the Member States and examine potential options.
To conclude, and as far as our next steps are concerned, we are currently taking stock of the experience and achievements of the current strategy, examining trends and problems, and assessing and discussing with stakeholders what future actions from all the different policy areas are needed.
Our aim is to address the challenges created by the changing socio-political context.
But we also want to maintain a coordinated, coherent and consistent approach and continuation of the efforts to fight this extremely pernicious but highly lucrative form of crime.
The reflections and contributions of this House are of great importance for our work and I am looking forward with particular interest to our discussion today.
Closing Remarks
Thank you for this interesting and constructive debate.
I also thank you for your support to keep the fight against trafficking in human beings high on the political agenda.
The questions you raised today on:
· the economic and financial aspects,
· the gender dimension and
· the coherence between the internal and external dimension
will feed the development of a new comprehensive EU Anti-trafficking policy framework.
It will certainly take due account on the actual and worrisome trends in Europe.
Trafficking existed prior to the migration crisis, but there is evidence that the current challenges have exacerbated vulnerabilities.
The external dimension has been an integral part of the EU policy framework to address trafficking in human beings and constitutes one of its pillars.
And it will continue to be so.
Let me ensure you once again that the Commission monitors the processes in Member States towards full transposition of the Directive on Anti-Trafficking.
We will take all necessary steps to ensure full compliance with it.
Let me conclude by saying that the fight against the trafficking in human beings is an imperative for the EU to continue delivering: we owe this to the victims and to our societies.