EU to unveil new legislation on migrant smuggling

The European Commission is expected to present its latest legislation on countering migrant smuggling in Brussels on Tuesday, which sets out a new "legal, operational and international cooperation framework."

According to the Commission, the legislation comprises a directive laying down minimum rules on the facilitation of unauthorized entry, transit and stay in the EU, and a regulation to reinforce Europol's role and inter-agency cooperation in the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. 

The new legislation will be presented in the context of the International Conference on a Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling, which is being attended by EC President Ursula von der Leyen, and commissioners for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Justice Didier Reynders, Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivier Várhelyi, and International Partnerships Jutta...