Emerging human trafficking trends and countering terrorism in the Southeast Europe region need a proactive and more effective response. Against this backdrop, the Brdo Process endorsed its Strategy 2025-2029 of the Network of Anti-Trafficking Coordinators in South-Eastern Europe (NATC-SEE), reflecting the changing nature of human trafficking in the region and the complexities introduced by new technologies, migration patterns, and socio-economic factors.
On 27-28 March, along with the conference of the NATC-SEE¹, the Slovenian Ministry of the Interior hosted the 13th Ministerial Meeting of the Brdo Process in Kranj, Slovenia. European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner and Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos formally opened the Meeting.
External border security and effective migration management is continuously a part of the agenda of meetings like the Brdo Process, as terrorist groups often use migration flows. Terrorism remains a significant threat to regional security, and must be addressed in strategic, coordinated, and effective ways. Enhanced control of the region's external borders, cooperation with Western Balkan countries, and coordinated action are key steps in our common strategy.said Slovenian Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar, at the Ministerial Meeting
Delegates to the Meeting also issued a Joint Declaration calling for enhanced security and regional cooperation. They also agreed on the need for law enforcement authorities’ continuous and rapid adaptation to perceived changes in the criminal environment and contemporary security challenges.
EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator Diane Smitt and EU Agency for Asylum Executive Director Nina Gregori both highlighted the new and emerging trends and challenges in addressing human trafficking in and into the EU, and the demanding task to identify and support the trafficking victims among the asylum applicants.
We thank and congratulate Slovenia as host of this Ministerial Meeting, and on the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the Network of Anti-Trafficking Coordinators of South-East Europe. For 20 years, ICMPD has been consistently working towards fostering coordination between anti-trafficking actors, particularly across borders and the aspiration that these efforts would translate into positive impact for victims and survivors. Our role as Secretariat allows us to put our expertise in service of the Network members in advancing their cooperation in the fight against human trafficking with other actors within the region and beyond.said Malin Frankenhaeuser, Director for Policy, Research, and Strategy at ICMPD
Following the NATC-SEE’s landmark consultations for its 2020-2024 Strategy, and a series of Joint Declarations and Statements since 2012², the Network’s Strategy 2025-2029 puts a focus on working towards common cross-border cases of trafficking in human beings; including developing collaborative mechanisms for cross-border investigations and support for victims to improve the effectiveness of the anti-trafficking efforts. Created in the framework of the Brdo Process, the NATC-SEE has been providing its Members³ the forum to share good practices, discuss their unique needs and challenges, and identify areas for stronger cooperation. In the last 15 years, they have:
- Harmonised anti-trafficking response and policies in the SEE region, with regular discussions on the trends in the fight against human trafficking;
- Strengthened the readiness to counter human trafficking at the national level, particularly through the exchange of experiences and good practices such as the concept of a task force for combating human trafficking and irregular migration or introducing statutory guarantees on non-punishment of victims of human trafficking;
- Increased the number of joint anti-trafficking initiatives;.
- Offered a valuable forum for closer EU-focussed exchange in the anti-trafficking response between the Network’s participants who are EU member states and those in the EU accession process, those expecting to open accession talks and the potential candidates.
The Network’s Strategy 2025-2029 will also advance joint campaigns on the International Day Against Trafficking in Persons, and other international commemorations; and joint research, trainings, and workshops on the Network’s common thematic areas of interest. Recognising the whole-of-route approach, the NATC-SEE also maintains cooperation with countries and partners outside the SEE region in the fight against human trafficking.
¹ The meeting was organised under the “Regional Frameworks: Learning and Collaboration for Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings” project, supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in the framework of GIZ’s “EU Support to Strengthen the Fight against Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings in the Western Balkans (EU4FAST)” project; co-funded by the European Union, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Italy, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
² The 2012 Declaration outlined the network’s priorities to fight human trafficking, also reflecting the synergies between the EU anti-trafficking strategy and the efforts made in SEE. The 2018 Ministerial Declaration gave a needed boost to regional cooperation on anti-trafficking. The Joint Statement of 2021 focused on addressing the issue of impunity in the context of human trafficking, and that of 2022 addressed multiple issues in the context of the influx of people who fled wars.
³ Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia.* The designation of Kosovo is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
Delegates to the Brdo Process Ministerial Meeting and the Network of Anti-Trafficking Coordinators in South-Eastern Europe. They are joined by (front row, second from left) European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, Slovenian Minister of the Interior Bostjan Poklukar, and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos; and EU Agency for Asylum Executive Director Nina Gregori (4th from left, 2nd row), EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator Diane Schmitt (4th from right, 2nd row) and ICMPD Director for Policy, Research, and Strategy Malin Frankenhaeuser (right, 2nd row). (Image: Slovenia Ministry of the Interior)