Belgium and its Calais Group partners agree on a priority plan to counter migrant smuggling
In London, the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands and Belgium, in the presence of the European Commission and its agencies, Europol and Frontex, agreed on a five-point priority plan to tackle irregular migration and migrant smuggling in 2025. Key priorities include targeting illicit financial flows that sustain smuggling networks and tackling organised crime groups' use of social media to recruit and advertise dangerous journeys across Europe and the Channel.
During the fourth meeting of Calais Group Interior Ministers on 10 December 2024 in London, Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden and Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor convened with their partners from the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the Netherlands to strengthen their fight against migrant smuggling networks.
They agreed on a reinforced action plan for 2025. The priority actions consist of (1) organising awareness-raising campaigns in source and transit countries to deter potential migrants from paying organised crime groups to facilitate irregular migration, (2) jointly targeting the networks supplying smugglers with equipment, (3) tackling the financing of these networks who use informal value transfer systems to fund and move profits from their criminal activities, (4) combating their use of social networks to attract migrants and finally (5) strengthening their operational and technical cooperation on the ground, involving other partners, such as Frontex.
For further details, please read the Calais Group Priority Plan on Countering Migrant Smuggling for 2025.