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Welcome to the Anti-trafficking website of
the Council of Europe
 GRETA
draws up country evaluation reports containing an analysis of
the implementation of the Convention by each Party and proposals
for further action. On the basis of GRETA’s reports, the
political pillar of the monitoring mechanism, the Committee of
the Parties, may adopt recommendations concerning the measures
to be taken to implement GRETA’s conclusions.Since
the late 1980s, the Council of Europe has invested considerable
efforts in the fight against trafficking in human beings. These
efforts culminated in the adoption, in May 2005, of the
Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and the
setting up of a mechanism to monitor compliance with the
obligations contained in it. This monitoring mechanism is
composed of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking
in Human Beings (GRETA), a multidisciplinary panel of 15
independent experts, and the Committee of the Parties to the
Convention. GRETA draws up country
evaluation reports containing an analysis of the implementation
of the Convention by each Party and proposals for further
action. On the basis of GRETA’s reports, the political pillar of
the monitoring mechanism, the Committee of the Parties, may
adopt recommendations concerning the measures to be taken to
implement GRETA’s conclusions.
Forthcoming elections of
GRETA
members
The terms of office of 13 of the 15
current members of the Group of Experts on Action against
Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) will expire on 31 December
2012. The elections to fill the vacant seats will be held at the
9th meeting of the Committee of the Parties of the Council of
Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings
on 12-13 November 2012.
Taking into account that no
two members of GRETA may be nationals of the same State, the
following 33 Parties to the Convention have the right to
nominate candidates for GRETA membership: Albania, Andorra,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Georgia, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova,
Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino,
Serbia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, “The
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Ukraine and United
Kingdom.
The governments of these
countries have been invited to submit, by 12 September 2012, the
names of at least two experts known for their recognised
competence in the fields of human rights, assistance and
protection of victims and action against trafficking in human
beings or having professional experience in the areas covered by
the Convention. GRETA members sit in their individual capacity
and have to be independent and impartial. It is the
responsibility of each Party to ensure that the national
selection procedure leading to the nomination of candidates for
GRETA is in accordance with published national guidelines or
otherwise transparent and designed to lead to the nomination of
the most qualified candidates.
The News
1st Evaluation Round: GRETA
visits NorwayStrasbourg, 30 May 2012 - A
delegation of the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action
against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) carried out a
country visit to Norway from 21 to 24 May 2012. The visit was
organised in the context of the first round of evaluation of the
implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action
against Trafficking in Human Beings (2010-2013). [More...]
State of
signatures and ratification of the Convention
Finland
36th member state to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on
Action against Trafficking in Human Beings
The Council of Europe Convention on Action against
Trafficking in Human Beings entered into force on 1 February
2008. The Convention was ratified by Finland on
30 May
2012 and will enter into force on 1 September 2012.
The Convention has now been ratified by 36 Council of Europe
member states:
Albania,
Andorra,
Armenia, Austria,
Azerbaijan,
Belgium,
Bosnia and
Herzegovina,
Bulgaria,
Croatia,
Cyprus,
Denmark,
Finland,
France,
Georgia,
Iceland,
Ireland, Italy,
Latvia,
Luxembourg,
Malta,
Moldova, Montenegro, the
Netherlands,
Norway,
Poland,
Portugal,
Romania,
San Marino,
Serbia,
Slovak Republic,
Slovenia,
Spain,
Sweden, "the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia",
Ukraine and
the United Kingdom.
It has also been signed but not yet ratified by another seven
Council of Europe member states: Estonia, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Switzerland and Turkey.
The President of GRETA meets the
Director of FRONTEX
On 16 May 2012 the President of the Council of Europe Group
of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings
(GRETA), Mr Nicolas le Coz, met with the Director of the
European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at
the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union
(FRONTEX), Mr Ilkka Laitinen, at the FRONTEX headquarters in
Warsaw. Ms Hanna Machinska, Head of the Office of the Council of
Europe in Warsaw, and Mr David Reisenzein, External Relations
Officer of FRONTEX, also participated in the meeting.
The Director of FRONTEX stressed that action against trafficking
in human beings is a priority for the agency and presented the
tools and recent initiatives developed in this field. The
President of GRETA, recalling that the Council of Europe
Anti-trafficking Convention already binds 20 of the 27 EU Member
States and contains far-reaching provisions on the
identification and protection of victims of trafficking,
presented the Council of Europe’s anti-trafficking work and
GRETA’s role. Recalling the links already established with the
Anti-trafficking Co-ordinator on behalf of the European
Commission, EUROJUST and other international organisations
active in the field of action against trafficking in human
beings, he stressed the importance of institutional and
operational co-operation between the main stakeholders, as well
as the transmission of information to GRETA for the
establishment of its evaluation reports.
M. Laitinen and Mr Le Coz agreed, in the framework of the
mandates of FRONTEX and GRETA, to implement co-operation between
the two institutions.
 A national co-ordinating body with the necessary authority is
an efficient tool to prevent trafficking in human beings
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights (ODIHR) organised in Warsaw on 14-16 May 2012 a Human
Dimension Seminar on the Rule of Law Framework for Combating
Trafficking in Human Beings. More than 150 representatives of
OSCE Participating States, international organisations and non-governemental
organisations attended the seminar.
ODHIR Director Ambassador Janez Lenarčič opened the seminar by
recalling that anti-trafficking policies will only be successful
if they are ”governed by the principles of rule of law and
centered on the protection of the rights of the victims to
access justice and regain their human dignity”. Ms Maria Grazia
Giammarinaro, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for
Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, underlined the necessity
for States to evaluate the impact of their policies on the human
rights of trafficked persons.
Speaking at the session on prevention of trafficking, the
President of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action
against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), Nicolas Le Coz,
recalled that the Council of Europe Convention on Action against
Trafficking in Human Beings is the only international legal
instrument providing for the setting up of national
co-ordinating bodies which bring together the actions of various
anti-trafficking actors. The Convention also encourages state
authorities to co-operate with non-governemental organisations
in establishing strategic partnerships. He stressed the
importance of giving such co-ordination bodies the authority
necessary to fulfill their mission and called upon OSCE
Participating States which have not yet done so to sign and
ratify the Council of Europe Convention.
The President of GRETA put forth five recommendations concerning
co-ordination of action against human trafficking, protection of
groups and persons vulnerable to trafficking, support of
research, protection of anti-trafficking actors from the
influence of traffickers, and monitoring of national
anti-trafficking systems.
 1st
Evaluation Round: GRETA visits Bosnia and Herzegovina
Strasbourg, 21 May 2012- A delegation of the Council
of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in
Human Beings (GRETA) carried out a country visit to Bosnia and
Herzegovina from 14 to 18 May 2012. The visit was carried out in
the context of the first round of evaluation of the
implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action
against Trafficking in Human Beings (2010-2013). [More...]
 1st Evaluation Round: GRETA visits Poland
Strasbourg, 3 May 2012- A delegation of the Council
of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in
Human Beings (GRETA) carried out a country visit to Poland from
23 to 27 April 2012. The visit was carried out in the context of
the first round of evaluation of the implementation of the
Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in
Human Beings (2010-2013). [More...]
 The
Council of Europe Anti-trafficking Convention and GRETA’s
monitoring reports strengthen the support provided by Eurojust
in the prosecution of traffickers
On 26 and 27 April 2012, the Council of Europe Group
of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA)
participated in a strategic seminar on trafficking in human
beings organised by Eurojust in The Hague, Netherlands. The
seminar brought together national practitioners, experts,
representatives of Eurojust, Europol, the European Commission
and the Council of Europe.
Michčle Coninsx, President-Elect of Eurojust, and Ola Laurell,
Chair of the Trafficking and Related Crimes Team (TRCT),
recalled the assistance Eurojust can provide to States with a
view to improving the number and quality of prosecutions. Ms
Coninsx stressed the need to freeze, seize and confiscate the
assets of organised criminal gangs involved in human trafficking
and highlighted the enhanced role that Eurojust can play if used
effectively by EU Member States. Mr Laurell announced a project
launched by TRCT to uncover obstacles to the investigation and
prosecution of human trafficking crimes.
Nicolas Le Coz, President of GRETA, explained that the
provisions of the Council of Europe Anti-trafficking Convention
and GRETA’s evaluation reports, which promote efficient criminal
investigations and prosecutions as well as mutual legal
assistance, are an added-value for action against trafficking in
human beings and provide strong support to the work of Eurojust.
Mr Le Coz recalled that the Convention, which has been ratified
by 35 Council of Europe Member States (20 of which are also EU
Member States), provides in its Article 23(3) for the
confiscation of traffickers’ assets. GRETA has stressed in its
reports that the confiscation of criminal assets is crucial as a
way of reinforcing the effects of the penalty, as well as
ensuring the compensation to victims.
The findings of the seminar will be incorporated into a report
on best practices and an action plan for Eurojust.
Round table on action
against trafficking in human beings,
St.
Petersburg, 18 April 2012
 “Delays and obstructions in mutual co-operation in criminal
matters are in the interest of traffickers and seriously penalise
victims of trafficking”, recalled the President of the Council of
Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings
(GRETA)
Trafficking in human beings remains a burning
issue, which is why the Council of Europe, the Organisation for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the Interparliamentary
Assembly and the Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS) organised together, for the first time, a round table on this
subject on 18 April 2012 in St. Petersburg. The event brought together
some one hundred participants, including parliamentarians, public
officials from CIS countries, prosecutors, law enforcement officials,
researchers and representatives of non-governmental and intergovernmental
organisations. [More...]
1st Evaluation Round: GRETA visits France
Strasbourg, 10 April 2012 - A delegation
of the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking
in Human Beings (GRETA) carried out a country visit in France from
26 to 30 March 2012. The visit was organised in the context of the
first round of evaluation of the implementation of the Council of
Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings
(2010-2013). [More...
]
 GRETA publishes report on the Republic of Moldova
Strasbourg, 22 February 2012 - The Council of Europe’s Group
of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA)
has published today its first evaluation report on the Republic
of Moldova.
In the report, GRETA notes the steps taken by
the Moldovan authorities to combat trafficking in human beings,
through the adoption of specific anti-trafficking legislation and
putting into place a National Referral System for Assistance and
Protection of Victims and Potential Victims of Trafficking. [More...]
7th
meeting of the Committee of the Parties
The 7th meeting of the
Committee of the Parties of the Council of Europe Convention on
Action against Trafficking in Human Beings was held in Strasbourg
on Monday, 30 January 2012.
The Committee of
the Parties re-elected Ambassador Tatiana Pârvu (Republic of Moldova)
as its Chair.
The Committee also examined four GRETA
reports concerning the evaluation of the implementation of Convention
by Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Denmark and adopted
recommendations addressed to these Parties.
Next
Committee of the Parties meeting:
8th meeting: 11 June
2012
More on the Committee
of the Parties ...
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