DAY 1 – Tuesday 10 September 2024

10.00 a.m. - 10.15 a.m.

Opening remarks

Moderator: Hanne Juncher, Director, Directorate of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law, Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe

Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

10.15 a.m. -10.40 a.m.

Fritz Zeder, Chair of the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC)

David Best, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Migration and Refugees

10.40 a.m. -11.00 a.m.

Presentation on countering the smuggling of migrants

Michael O'Flaherty, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe

Coffee Break

11.30 a.m. -12.30 p.m.

Existing international and national instruments (I): Core principles and practical challenges in their implementation

Moderator: David Best, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Migration and Refugees

Core principles:

Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (hereafter the ‘Smuggling of Migrants Protocol’).

European Union’s (EU) 2002 Council Directive and Framework Decision criminalising the facilitation of unlawful entry into, transit, and stay in EU Member States (the ‘Facilitators Package’) and November 2023 Proposal by the European Commission to replace the ‘Facilitators Package’ with a new Council Directive.

National experiences of applying international instruments in the field of migrant smuggling – contributions by Council of Europe member States (TBC)

12.30 p.m. - 2.00 p.m. Lunch break

2.00 p.m. - 3.30 p.m.

Existing international and national instruments (II): gaps, needs and practical challenges in their implementation

Moderator: Hanne Juncher, Director, Directorate of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law, Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe

Andreas Schloenhardt, Professor, University of Vienna and of Queensland

Calogero Ferrara, European Delegated Prosecutor at EPPO

Contributions by civil society (TBC)

Q&A

Coffee break

4.00 p.m. -5.00 p.m.

National experiences of applying international instruments in the field of migrant smuggling – contributions by third countries (TBC)

Moderator: Pilar Morales, Coordinator of the Neighbourhood Policy with the Southern Mediterranean, Executive Director of the North-South Centre, Council of Europe

Q&A

DAY 2 – Wednesday 11 September 2024

9.30 a.m. -10.45 a.m.

Thematic reflection on elements of a possible new Council of Europe instrument/convention on migrant smuggling

Moderator: Eva Pastrana, Head of the Criminal Law Division and Secretary to the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC), Council of Europe

Andreas Schloenhardt, Professor, University of Vienna and of Queensland

Calogero Ferrara, European Delegated Prosecutor at EPPO

Q&A

Break

11.15 a.m. - 12.15 p.m.

Interventions of European Networks

Moderator: Hanne Juncher, Director, Directorate of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law, Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe

-       Eurojust group of prosecutors on Migrant Smuggling

-       Council of Europe Network of Prosecutors on Migrant Smuggling

Q&A

12.15 p.m. - 12.30 p.m.

Closing remarks Gianluca Esposito, Director General, Directorate of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe

Wednesday, 11 September 2024

2.00 p.m. -3.30 p.m.

Introduction / Moderation: Eva Pastrana, Head of the Criminal Law Division and Secretary to the CDPC, Council of Europe

(Speaker TBC)

Tour de table - presentation of participants and their views on the feasibility of and need for a possible new CoE instrument/convention on smuggling of migrants

Coffee break

4.00 p.m. -5.00 p.m.

Presentation of country models to counter Migrant Smuggling (CoE MS to be selected later)

Representatives of the European Network on Migrant Smuggling

Q&A

5.00 p.m. -5.15 p.m.

Conclusions and way forward (Speaker TBC)