Monthly archive August, 2016

The impact of Operation Sophia on the exercise of criminal jurisdiction against migrant smugglers and human traffickers

1. The extent of smuggling of migrants and human trafficking from Africa to the EU   Following the incident of April 2015, when 800 people lost their life in the Mediterranean Sea, the EU has concentrated its efforts on fighting the smuggling of migrants by sea, with the European Council emphasising that all efforts should...

EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia and the question of jurisdiction over transnational organized crime at sea

1. Introduction On 22 June 2015, the second naval operation of the European Union (EU)[1] was launched in the Southern Central Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED, later renamed as EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia)[2] with the aim of disrupting the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks in the Southern Central Mediterranean. This Operation has been part...

EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia one year after: An effective measure to tackle human trafficking and migrant smuggling networks?

Introduced by Francesca De Vittor and Francesca Mussi   On 18 May 2015 the Council of European Union adopted Decision 2015/778 establishing the European Union military operation in the Southern Central Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED), with the aim of undertaking systematic efforts to identify, capture and dispose of vessels and assets used or suspected of being...