In November 2023, the European Commission proposed a new legislation package ‘to prevent and combat migrant smuggling’, which includes a reform of Europol Regulation. This new proposal puts forward a great expansion of the agency’s powers, especially when it comes to its digital surveillance capabilities.
The European Commission is working on a false assumption that increased police powers and large-scale data processing will somehow protect migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers from smugglers. Instead, this will lead to more dangerous routes and more prosecution, discrimination and violence by authorities.
We call on the European Parliament to reject the proposed regulation in its entirety and we call on the EU institutions to change the EU’s hostile border and migration policies.
