WIREDGOV

The Netherlands has presented the Barrière Model to tackle people smuggling. It did so during the first European conference of the Netherlands’ Presidency on 12 and 13 January. The model is a multidisciplinary approach for member states to erect barriers to people smuggling.

Closer international cooperation

More than 200 experts from the member states, national and international organisations, NGOs and the private sector discussed the approach during aconference entitled Multidisciplinary Approach to People Smuggling held in Amsterdam. The two-day conference was organised by the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice as part of the EU Presidency, together with the European Commission and the European Migration Network. Its goal was to improve cooperation between national and international organisations.

Broad package of measures

The multidisciplinary approach to people smuggling must bring about cooperation between authorities, NGOs and the private sector. Together, they will map out the journeys migrants take from their home countries to their European destinations and so identify effective measures against people smuggling. The measures will be diverse in nature and include criminal-law, administrative, tax-related and private-law instruments.

Integrating measures and sharing knowledge

‘EU member states are taking a robust approach but it is not integrated. The partners must improve their cooperation and share their knowledge. People smuggling is a transnational crime. That’s why the multidisciplinary approach will be at the heart of the European conference on people smuggling the ministry will host on 18 January. The Netherlands has been using this approach to tackle people and drug smuggling for many years. And not without success,’ said Tizia Lemmer and Tycho Walaardt, senior policy officers at the Ministry of Security and Justice’s Migration Policy Department.

Action Plan against people smuggling

The European Union’s Action Plan against people smuggling recognises the importance of a multidisciplinary approach. The conference in Amsterdam worked out the Action Plan into concrete measures.

Conference results

During interactive workshops, participants made concrete proposals on a variety of themes, such as the exchange of information, financial investigations, the use of social media, cooperation with the private sector, information campaigns and push and pull factors in migration. The Ministry of Security and Justice will use the conference conclusions to formulate Council conclusions. The intention is to adopt them during the Justice and Home Foreign Affairs Council on 10 and 11 March 2016.