Commission staff working document

Actions and flagship projects

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  Strengthening the BSTF and Europol alignment;
  
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  Facilitating operational cooperation to combat organised crime in the BSR;
  
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  Further development of cooperation with external partners;
  
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  Development of Russia involvement in operational activities within the EU and Europol frameworks, based on regional needs.
  

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  To consider the creation of a joint BSR law enforcement authorities’ cooperation structure. The aim of the project is to connect BSTF (joint analysis and investigation) and BSRBCC (sea area intelligence) to create a joint cooperation structure for BSR law enforcement authorities taking as the basis the results of the ‘MARSUNO’ project,²⁹ as well as the outcome of DG MARE cooperation project³⁰ and DG ENTR surveillance projects³¹ aiming at establishing permanent information sharing among Member States authorities at EU level as described in priority area ‘Safe’. Lead: priority area coordinators. Deadline for progress review: 31 December 2013.
  

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  Reduction of production and distribution of drugs in the EU. Project aims to combat synthetic drugs in the BSR in line with the EU policy cycle Priority Area D. To analyse the production and import/export of precursors and to find out the illicit laboratories and the export of the produced drugs to the market. Lead: to be determined. Deadline for progress review: 31 December 2013.
  

Human trafficking is a cross-border crime of major global concern that needs to be targeted through a multifaceted approach and regional cooperation. The Baltic Sea region is composed of countries of origin, transit and destination for human trafficking. Prevention is the key tool to efficiently fight this crime. Well-functioning strategies to assist and protect victims of human trafficking also need to be in place.

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  Take preventive measures against trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation through improved knowledge and partnerships, and provide support and protection for victims and groups at risk, by means of transnational actions. Lead: Lithuania. Deadline for progress review: 31 December 2013. On 1 July 2012 the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations (HEUNI) in Finland, the Ministry of the Interior in Lithuania, the University of Tartu in Estonia and the CBSS TF-THB commenced a two-year flagship project ‘ADSTRINGO – Addressing trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation through improved partnerships, enhanced diagnostics and intensified organisational approaches’. It will be implemented in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden with the financial support of the Prevention of and Fight against Crime Programme of the European Commission Directorate General for Home Affairs. The Baltic Sea Cooperation Unit of the Swedish Institute is financing separately the CBSS TF-THB for project activities in the Russian Federation and Poland. The two main activities planned in the project are: baseline research on recruitment practices in relation to trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation in both countries of origin and destination and national workshops in each of the participating countries to bring together all relevant stakeholders to discuss cooperation on trafficking for labour exploitation and how to prevent it. As an outcome of both activities, the project also aims to develop guidelines on how to prevent this form of human trafficking and exploitation. The findings of the research will be presented and discussed on 18 October 2013 at a high-level conference in Vilnius during the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU. The project ends in June 2014.
  

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  Enhance cooperation and coordination among the BSR Member States to prevent trafficking in human beings in all its forms, and strengthen efforts to protect victims of human trafficking within the framework of the CBSS TF-THB. In line with its overall objectives, the CBSS TF-THB will in its strategy for 2012-2014 continue to implement joint projects against human trafficking in the region. The TF-THB is developing a project ‘The Nexus between Migration into Precarious Labour Situations and Trafficking for Labour Exploitation within the Baltic Sea Region’. Its purpose is to prevent human trafficking for forced labour exploitation by examining the nexus between trafficking for labour exploitation and migration into precarious labour situations in CBSS Member States. The main activities will include field research on victims of trafficking for labour exploitation and migrants in precarious labour situations and the development of guidelines for key labour players on preventing trafficking for labour exploitation. CBSS TF-THB will also facilitate and promote the coordination and exchange of knowledge and best practices in this field. By means of practical work and project implementation the CBSS TF-THB sets out to ensure the sustainability of earlier projects and to build upon the achievements already made by supporting activities at the national level in all CBSS Member States, at their request. To ensure the longevity of the Handbook for Diplomatic and Consular Personnel on Assistance to Victims of Human Trafficking and its continued distribution as a training tool, the TF-THB aims at developing a web-based training application (eLearning) based on the Handbook and transferring it into dynamic content that can be used for digital training lectures. Another initiative of the TF-THB is to publish a report on the State of the Region – Trafficking in Human Beings with a view to tracking developments and achieving an overview of human trafficking issues in each Member State and the region as a whole, in order to have updated material which can be used by researchers, cooperation partners and stakeholders, and ensure the continuity of data collection and analysis. The CBSS TF-THB furthermore strives to strengthen strategic partnerships and increase cooperation with local, regional and international organisations working against human trafficking in the BSR and to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and experience to partners outside the region by sharing knowledge and providing strategic support.