Commission welcomes agreement to boost Europol's role in the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings

The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on 25 September, to strengthen Europol's role against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. The regulation was proposed by the Commission in November 2023 to enhance Europol's support for Member States' law enforcement authorities.

Key achievements include:

• Strengthening the European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling and its cooperation with EU agencies, notably Eurojust and Frontex, and EU bodies;
• Improving information sharing between Europol and the EU Member States;
• Reinforcing Europol's biometric data processing capabilities;
• Providing additional financial resources and new staff to Europol - EUR 50 million and 50 staff members -.

The regulation will need to be formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council and published in the Official Journal of the EU.

The Management Board of Europol will have to adopt implementing rules on how the European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling operates.

Background

In her 2025 State of the Union address, President von der Leyen announced new initiatives to step up the fight against smugglers and traffickers, including "a new sanctions regime to freeze their assets, restrict their freedom of movement and deprive them of their profits."

The new European Internal Security Strategy, ProtectEU, also announced that the Commission will propose an ambitious overhaul of Europol's mandate, in close consultation with Member States. The aim will be to further strengthen Europol's role in investigating cross-border, large-scale, and complex cases posing a serious threat to the internal security of the Union; working more closely with other EU Agencies and further enhancing support to Member States.

The proposal for a Regulation on strengthening the role of Europol against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings was put forward in November 2023, together with a proposal fa Directive to establish minimum rules to prevent and counter the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and stay in the Union, which is currently under negotiation with the European Parliament and the Council. In November 2023 the Commission also launched the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling, to step up cooperation with international partners and break the smugglers' business model.

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