On 21 May, the European Commission published a call for proposals to co-fund projects aimed a tcombating organised crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking. With a budget of €16.55 million, support will be provided to police forces and law enforcement agencies in general, as well as to civil society and other public and private bodies […]
No longer invisible: EU launches campaign against human trafficking
The European Commission has launched an EU-wide awareness campaign to combat human trafficking. Every year, around 10,000 people are identified as victims of trafficking in the EU, and many more go unnoticed and unprotected. Victims include both EU and non-EU citizens who are forced into sexual or labour exploitation, forced crime or other forms of […]
Over 30 potential victims identified in action against human trafficking enabled online
From 15 to 19 September 2025, Europol supported the fourth edition of the EMPACT Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) Hackathon, an action week against human trafficking enabled online. It was led by Dutch authorities, with the support of Germany and the United Kingdom, and brought together 73 specialists from 26 countries across the world. Eurojust […]
EU backs reinforced Europol role on migrant smuggling and trafficking
The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council to reinforce Europol’s role and inter-agency cooperation in the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. This regulation was proposed by the Commission in November 2023. The fight against migrant smuggling is a Commission priority, as President von der […]
Council gives go-ahead to strengthen rules against trafficking in human beings
The Council adopted a directive that adds the exploitation of surrogacy, of forced marriage and of illegal adoption as forms of exploitation covered by the EU’s anti-trafficking law. The modification reflects the gravity, as well as the prevalence and the relevance of these forms of exploitation. Knowingly using the service provided by a trafficking victim will […]
Europol: 13 victims of human trafficking rescued in Spain
Europol has supported the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) and the Polish Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) in an operation targeting a criminal organisation trafficking human beings for the purposes of sexual and labour exploitation in Spain. The investigation has resulted in 17 arrests and the safeguarding of 13 victims. The suspects were arrested in Madrid, […]
Trafficking in human beings: Commission proposes stronger rules to fight the evolving crime
The Commission proposes to strengthen the rules that prevent and combat trafficking in human beings. Every year over 7000 people become victims of human trafficking in the EU. That figure can be expected to be much higher as many victims remain undetected. The yearly cost of trafficking in human beings in the EU reaches EUR […]
HORIZON EUROPE: Effective fight against trafficking in human beings
Expected Outcome Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes: Security practitioners and policy makers are provided with an improved and more complete intelligence picture of trafficking in human beings, such as modus operandi, both offline and online, including the whole trafficking chain, cross-border dimension, new trends, relations with […]
Raising campaign for prevention of human trafficking during war
On May 2, the European Union together with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) launched an all-Ukrainian awareness-raising campaign for prevention of human trafficking during the war. The campaign, funded by the EU, will cover the basic security rules and risks of human trafficking that Ukrainians escaping the Russian invasion need to be aware of. During May, the […]