The European Commission is proposing new legislation and international cooperation to prevent and fight migrant smuggling.
Twenty-year-old legislation against human trafficking is to be revised, the EU's executive arm said on Tuesday in Brussels.
"We are stepping up the fight against migrant smuggling and protecting people from falling into the hands of criminals. We are going after the smugglers, not the smuggled," EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said.
For serious crimes resulting in death, the maximum sentence is to be increased from the current eight years to 15 years. Legal prosecution by EU states is also to become easier, for example when boats sink in international waters and people die.
The aim is to specifically target the criminal networks that facilitate migrant smuggling, according to the EU.
However, Johansson emphasized that humanitarian aid provided by non-governmental organizations, such as sea rescue, ought not be pursued.
In addition, the role of the European police authority Europol is to be strengthened, for example with more staff and better data exchange.
The commission also launched a call to action for a Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling, at an international conference hosted in Brussels on Tuesday.
Both actions follow up on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's 2023 State of the Union address, in which she called for strengthening all tools at the EU's disposal to effectively counter migrant smuggling.
"Together, these initiatives set out the new legal, operational and international cooperation framework against migrant smuggling for the years to come," the commission said.
The European Parliament and the EU states will now need to negotiate the proposal.
