Take away their money and freedom of movement, and make their business model collapse. That is the idea behind the EU’s new push to target migrant smugglers and human traffickers at the heart of their criminal networks.
New sanctions regime proposed by the European Commission and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas would allow the bloc to freeze assets and impose travel bans on individuals and entities involved in migrant smuggling, human trafficking and other serious forms of organised crime.
“We all have a common goal. To drive them out of business. And to save the lives of thousands of people who dream of a better life,“ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
A wider net for organised crime
The proposed sanctions would target not only networks involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking, but also other forms of organised crime, including drug trafficking, illegal arms trading and money laundering. The focus would be on organisations and individuals whose activities are “large-scale, systematic or organised” and pose a threat to the security and values of individual countries and the EU as a whole.
“Migrant smuggling, arms trafficking, and money laundering threaten the security of our citizens and undermine our democracies,“ Ms Kallas said, adding that the new sanctions are designed above all to cripple criminal networks’ ability to operate across borders. “We will make these crimes harder, riskier, and far less profitable,“ she added.
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Under the proposal, people and entities placed on the sanctions list would face asset freezes, a ban on receiving funds or economic resources, and restrictions preventing them from entering EU countries or travelling through them. The measures would apply in a coordinated way and reviewed regularly.
A new front in the migration fight
The initiative marks another step in the EU’s fight against irregular migration and the criminal groups making money from it. While the number of irregular arrivals in the EU has fallen by more than 50 per cent over the past two years, the Commission warns that too many people are still exposed to exploitation by smugglers and continue to die along dangerous migration routes.
“For the first time, we propose a sanctions regime against those who profit from human suffering,“ EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said.
The proposal will now go to the Council of the EU for discussion. To enter into force, it will require unanimous approval from all member states. The initiative follows a commitment Ms von der Leyen made in her 2025 State of the Union address: to create a tool targeting smugglers and limiting their ability to operate in the EU.
