A delegation of the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) carried out an evaluation visit to Estonia from 19 to 22 October 2026, as part of the third evaluation round of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The focus of this evaluation round of the Convention is on trafficking victims’ access to justice and effective remedies. Prior to the visit, the Estonian authorities provided a reply to GRETA’s questionnaire related to the evaluation. In addition to the thematic focus of the third evaluation round, the visit provided an opportunity to assess progress in the implementation of recommendations made by GRETA in its second evaluation report on Estonia, published in June 2023.
During the visit, the GRETA delegation held consultations with officials from the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs, including the National Anti-Trafficking Co-ordinator, the Ministry of the Interior, including the Police and Border Guard Board, the Ministry of Social Affairs and its Social Insurance Board, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, meetings were held with representatives of the Labour Inspectorate, the Unemployment Insurance Fund and Tallinn City Government’s child protection services, as well as with prosecutors and judges.
Further, the GRETA delegation met representatives of the Office of the Chancellor of Justice (Ombudsperson).
The delegation held separate meetings with representatives of non-governmental organisations and lawyers representing victims of trafficking. Discussions were also held with representatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
During the visit, the delegation visited the Children’s House (Barnahus) in Tallinn, Tallinn Migration Centre and an immigration detention centre near Tallinn.
The visit was carried out by Ms Ia Dadunashvili and Mr Georgios Vanikiotis, members of GRETA, who were accompanied by Mr Elvin Aliyev of the Secretariat of the Convention.
Following the visit, GRETA will prepare a draft report, which will be sent to the Estonian authorities for comments. GRETA will subsequently adopt a final report, which will be published.
