Assessing the EU’s response to the smuggling of migrants: new trends and policy responses

Around the world, the fight against the smuggling of migrants is seen as a critical component of countries’ migration management strategies. It often relies on the premise that organised smuggling networks must be dismantled to protect migrants from exploitation and reduce irregular migration.

In November 2023, the European Commission proposed new legislation to update and strengthen the EU’s counter-smuggling framework. In a recent SIEPS European Policy Analysis, Gabriella Sanchez, research fellow at Georgetown University, takes a critical look at the planned reform and identifies a number of risks. At this webinar, she will present her findings and discuss them with other renowned speakers from policy and academia, who will present comments in the context of their own work on migrant smuggling and the EU’s role in dealing with the phenomenon.