EU states must do more for victims of trafficking

Speech by Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP delivered to The European Parliament on Wed 16th Nov 2005

Question by Sarah Ludford (H-0895/05)

Subject: Council of Europe Trafficking Convention

Why have not all the EU Member States signed up to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings which encourages the treatment of trafficked persons principally as victims rather than illegal immigrants?

Is the UK, as the country holding the Presidency, setting a good example?

Douglas Alexander, President-in-Office of the Council. - The Council is not in a position to give information on the state of individual Member States' decision-making concerning the signature of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The convention has to date been signed by five Member States of the European Union: Austria, Cyprus, Poland, Portugal and Sweden. No Member States have ratified the convention. It is noted that part of the convention is under EC competence and will therefore need to be signed and ratified by the EC.

The Council is currently considering an action plan on trafficking in human beings to develop a comprehensive and strategic European Union approach on this issue. The action plan will build on the conference held on 19 and 20 October, 'Tackling human trafficking: Policy and best practice in Europe', organised by the United Kingdom Presidency, the Commission and Sweden.

Sarah Ludford (ALDE). - That is rather inadequate. The Commission's recent communication said that victim protection is the top priority, but Member States tend to lump trafficking together with illegal immigration and prefer to make victim protection conditional on being a witness. That is why they dislike the convention.

The advice that I and colleagues received from the police is that victims will cooperate with police voluntarily once they and their families are safe. Police are dismayed that the chances of a successful prosecution of traffickers are being undermined by a policy of deporting victims as illegal immigrants or making assistance conditional. Mr Blair said recently that you need powerful reasons to turn round and say 'no' to the police. Why are 17 EU Prime Ministers - and you are now telling me it is actually 20 Prime Ministers, including Tony Blair - saying 'no' to the police by refusing to sign up to this convention?

Douglas Alexander, President-in-Office of the Council. - I would first like to repeat to the honourable Member the point that I made at the beginning that it is not for me, representing the Presidency in the course of today and in the course of this debate, to speak in terms of the decision-making of those 20 Prime Ministers that she identifies. I would however say that it rather ill befits her to suggest that there is a conflation between illegal immigration and human trafficking when the conference that I described on this important issue of human trafficking was entitled 'Tackling human trafficking: policy and best practice in Europe'. This was a matter which, as I said, was taken forward by the British Presidency and therefore the allegation that she seems to be levelling that there is somehow a profound and perpetual confusion between illegal immigration and human trafficking seems, not least on the basis of the title of the conference, to be refuted by the evidence.

Elizabeth Lynne (ALDE). - Following on from that, I think the reason my colleague said what she did was because the UK Presidency seems to view this as a security and stability issue rather than a human rights issue.

Further to what the President-in-Office has said, could he try to make sure that the Council discussions on the EU action plan on trafficking is in the public domain, because we do not have any information about it at present. Could he also give reassurances that at least the minimum standards that are written into the EU Convention against trafficking are put into that EU action plan?

Douglas Alexander, President-in-Office of the Council. - Let me assure the honourable lady that there is widespread support for the aims of the Convention on Action against Human Trafficking and that European Union Member States want to see concerted action to tackle at source what is undoubtedly an abhorrent trade, in order to protect and support the victims of which she has spoken and bring those responsible to justice.

I can assure the honourable lady that the United Kingdom, as Presidency of the European Union, has prioritised work on combating human trafficking, and the EU Action Plan for best practices, standards and procedures for combating and preventing trafficking in human beings has been the focus of our efforts. We have held not one but two conferences on the subject. That action plan will, I can assure her, address the whole cycle of human trafficking and specifically recognises the importance of a human rights and a victim-centred approach. So, I hope that, on the basis of the answer that I have been able to offer, some of her concerns over the approach that the British Presidency has taken on this important issue transpire to be misplaced.