Meeting of the EU Network of National Rapporteurs and Equivalent Mechanisms against trafficking in human beings

Almost 100, in person, representatives and experts from EU Member States, the European Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS), EU agencies, International organisations, Ukraine and Moldova participated in the meeting of the EU Network of National Rapporteurs and Equivalent Mechanisms which took place on 25 and 26 April in Brussels and which focused on addressing the international dimension of trafficking in human beings.

On average, around 45% of victims identified in the EU every year are non-EU citizens, but in some years the proportion of non-EU citizens has been higher than that of EU nationals. The EU Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings 2021-2025 sets out the EU comprehensive response to trafficking in human beings, which covers prevention, protection of victims, prosecution and conviction of traffickers. One of the four key priorities of the Strategy is addressing the international dimension of trafficking in human beings. Accordingly, the EU has stepped up cooperation with non-EU countries of origin and transit of victims of trafficking, including with operational actions, funding of anti-trafficking actions and in the context of human rights and security dialogues, as well as with international and regional partners active in anti-trafficking.

The meeting was co-chaired by Diane Schmitt, EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, and the Swedish Presidency of the Council.

Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Charlotte Kugelberg, State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice of Sweden, Maria Soraya Rodriguez Ramos, MEP, Chair of Delegation for relations with the Pan-African Parliament and Member of FEMM Committee and Eamon Gilmore, EU Special Representative for Human Rights delivered keynote speeches in the opening session. The recording of the opening session of the meeting can be seen here.

The meeting provided an opportunity for representatives of the EU and of the Member States to discuss EU cooperation with international organisations active in anti-trafficking and with non-EU countries of origin and transit. International organisations present at the meeting included UNODC, OSCE, Council of Europe, Chief of Staff of the UN SRSG on Violence against Children and IOM (also in their role as co-chairs of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT – for 2023), ICMPD, UN Women and the Council of Baltic Sea States.

For the last panel that focused on national and transnational referral mechanisms over 60 online participants (members of the EU Civil Society Platform and of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) joined. The discussions underlined the importance of early identification of victims of trafficking and prompt referral of victims to appropriate protection and support services, especially in the cross-border setting.