CoE/Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI)
Council of Europe Joins UK Border Security Summit
The Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe, Gianluca Esposito, addressed the Border Security Summit in London, reaffirming the importance of tackling migrant smuggling while safeguarding fundamental human rights.
Held at Lancaster House on 31 March and 1 April, the Summit – hosted by the UK Home Office – brought together delegates from over 40 countries and international institutions to discuss strategies to combat criminal networks facilitating organised immigration crime and migrant smuggling.
The Director General highlighted the need for greater convergence of criminal legislation, more dissuasive penalties for smugglers and enhanced international judicial and law enforcement cooperation, adding that “a new legal text will be developed in the coming months at the Council of Europe to prevent and counter migrant smuggling.”
To support this, the Council of Europe has established a Network of Prosecutors on Migrant Smuggling; developed 26 migration country profiles, available online, to provide insights into national policies; and promoted the use of Council of Europe conventions on cybercrime and digital evidence to disrupt criminal financial networks involved in smuggling.
Alongside security measures, Esposito stressed the importance of a human rights-based approach to migration, in line with the European Convention on Human Rights and other relevant international instruments.
https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/council-of-europe-participates-in-uk-led-border-security-summit