1. The Committee of
Ministers has carefully examined Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 2283 (2024) “A shared European approach to address migrant smuggling”
and forwarded it to the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC)
for information and possible comments. It welcomes the Assembly’s support
in fulfilling the commitment made in the Reykjavík Declaration to
combating the smuggling of migrants while respecting human rights
and supporting frontline States.
2. The Committee is pleased to inform the Assembly that it recently
examined the report of the CDPC on the need for and feasibility
of a possible new Council of Europe instrument on the smuggling
of migrants and instructed the Secretariat to prepare accordingly
an amendment to the CDPC's terms of reference for the period 2026-2027
to conclude the drafting of a Committee of Ministers’ recommendation
in the field of smuggling of migrants. In carrying out this work,
consideration will be given to the Assembly’s specific proposals
in paragraphs 3 and 4 of its recommendation.
3. Finally, the Committee of Ministers recalls the ongoing implementation
of its Action Plan on Fighting the Smuggling of Migrants, focusing
on investigative challenges, mutual legal assistance, and enhanced
co-operation among source, transit and destination countries. This
includes the establishment of the Council of Europe Network of Prosecutors
on Migrant Smuggling and the publication of national migration profiles.
