In June 2025, the European Commission launched the EU Anti-Trafficking Hub which in support of the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, contributes to the implementation of EU policies to combat and prevent trafficking in human beings and protect its victims.
The EU Anti-Trafficking Hub brings together expertise and engages in three main activities: research, analysis, and advice in collaboration with stakeholders. It serves as a platform for participatory dialogue, and creative thinking for genuine knowledge production and exchange.
Research
Study on the collection and improvements of EU Statistics on trafficking in human beings
The study provides a comparative mapping of national data collection systems on trafficking in human beings since the transition from the voluntary Eurostat reporting mechanism towards a binding EU-wide framework. It examines national institutional landscapes or organisations that collect and provide data; data coordination models, definitions used (especially those concerning victims, presumed victims, identification, and forms of exploitation), data sources, methodologies, data flows, and existing data-sharing arrangements. It also identifies systemic gaps and operational challenges that hinder the comparison of data or the creation of a coherent EU-level statistical picture. In addition, the study puts forward recommendations for further action at the national level.
Read here: Study on the collection and improvements of EU Statistics on trafficking in human beings
Study on the concept of trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation
This study, carried out by the EU Anti-Trafficking Hub, examines the definition and the concept of trafficking for labour exploitation in the EU through examples from Italy, Finland, France, Spain, and the Netherlands. The study explains that legal rules across the EU are complex, making it difficult to distinguish trafficking in human beings from other forms of labour exploitation.
The study presents key findings and recommendations. Read here: Study on the concept of trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation