Christian Berger, the European Union Ambassador to Cairo, confirmed on Sunday that both the EU and Egypt are committed to taking necessary measures against smugglers and human traffickers, who recklessly put people’s lives at risk, knowing the dangers they may encounter.
In a recorded video message marking the International Day Against Human Trafficking, the EU ambassador pointed out that human trafficking and migrant smuggling constitute a global issue. He stressed that no single country or region could tackle this problem alone.
“We need to work together as we do in Egypt, through our effective partnership with the National Coordinating Committee for Combating and Preventing Illegal Immigration and Human Trafficking, EU member states, and United Nations agencies, to avoid tragic outcomes of such activities happening again,” Berger emphasized.
The EU ambassador further noted that the smuggling operation is a lucrative business for criminal networks, with an annual cost estimated to reach several billion Euros worldwide. He revealed that smugglers use land, sea, and air routes to facilitate irregular migration to and within the EU region.
Berger elaborated that migrant smuggling is increasingly associated with gross human rights violations and numerous fatalities, especially when the smuggling is carried out by sea. He underlined that the loss of lives at the hands of smugglers in the Mediterranean Sea reminds us of the urgent need to confront migrant smuggling, using all available legal, operational, and administrative means.
