Britain is taking the fight directly to people smugglers and
criminal gangs who have turned the Western Balkans into a major
transit route for irregular migration and serious organised
crime, the Foreign Secretary will tell partners on a visit to the
region this week.
With almost 22,000 people recorded using the Western Balkans to
transit into Europe last year, the Foreign Secretary will meet
with counterparts to strengthen UK-Serbian cooperation by
signing an Organised Immigration Crime agreement, first agreed by
Prime Minister at the European Political
Community in July. This will mean both countries can share
information more quickly and directly to combat and disrupt
organised immigration crime. will also hear directly from
female survivors of human trafficking.
This forms part of the government's approach to tackle the
problem at every step of the people smuggling journey, working
with neighbouring countries to combine resources and share
intelligence and tactics.
Ahead of the Berlin Process Summit, a diplomatic meeting
to deliver on the government's plan for change through
closer security ties and greater migration
cooperation, will see UK
technology being used to detect drugs and weapons concealed
in vehicles - alongside drones and cameras used to track popular
smuggling routes and prevent people dangerously and illegally
crossing borders.
The Foreign Secretary's visit is the latest step to drive further
action upstream and builds on the announcement of the
world's first sanction regime to target Organised Immigration
Crime.
It comes after the Prime Minister and Home Secretary hosted
the Organised Immigration Crime Summit in London this week as
part of the toughest-ever international crackdown on people
smuggling gangs and to deliver on working people's priorities for
secure borders. The Summit announced £30 million of funding
to tackle supply chains, illicit finances and trafficking routes
and an additional £3 million to enable the Crown Prosecution
Service (CPS) to increase its capacity to prosecute organised
international smugglers.
The Summit also saw the Prime Minister announce that more than
24,000 people with no right to be here in the UK have been
removed since July – the highest rate of returns for eight years
as the government begins to restore order to the immigration
system.
Foreign Secretary said:
“Criminal gangs have long exploited instability in the
Western Balkans, parts of which have become a major transit route
for irregular migration and serious organised crime. They are
risking lives for profit and becoming increasingly violent in
their determination to make as much money as possible.
"This diabolical, lawless trade of smuggling vulnerable
people is completely unacceptable and we are determined to
end it as we secure the UK's borders under our Plan for
Change.
"With the world becoming more dangerous and unpredictable,
the Western Balkans is of critical importance to the UK and
Europe's collective security, and the UK remains committed to
building resilience and stability in the region.”
Across the region, external actors – including Russia – seek to
exploit this fragility by fanning ethnic tensions, destabilising
democracies and threatening the hard-won peace and stability.
UK expertise is set to strengthen the resilience of institutions
against Russian and other malign influence - countering the
threats of cyber-attacks, disinformation and interference in
elections to stand up for freedom and democracy. On the visit,
the Foreign Secretary will sign an agreement between the UK and
Serbia which underlines the shared goal of a free, open,
peaceful and secure cyberspace and countering malicious
cyber actors.
The UK has a longstanding role and an important legacy in
promoting security in the region including in Kosovo, where it
has maintained a presence through NATO's KFOR mission since 1999.
The Foreign Secretary will meet with British troops on the ground
who serve in KFOR, NATO's largest overseas mission, which
contributes to maintaining a safe and secure environment and
freedom of movement for all communities in Kosovo.
The UK will host a meeting of Western Balkans leaders at the
Berlin Process Summit in London in Autumn 2025 to support
stability, security and economic co-operation, tackle gender
inequality and violence against women and girls, and focus work
to combat irregular migration transiting the region.
