UK signs new anti-trafficking agreements with Western Balkan countries

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will sign anti-trafficking agreements with Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo on 7 November while attending a European summit in Hungary.
The Labour leader has made reducing the number of illegal migrants arriving in the UK by small boats from France his top priority since coming to power in July.
At the European Policy Community (EPC) summit in Budapest, Starmer will call for "a significant improvement in international cooperation" to help dismantle the "nefarious" criminal gangs that smuggle people across the continent, his office said.
The prime minister will draw attention to the fact that "all European countries have a responsibility to end the devastation caused by people traffickers and that legitimate international cooperation will be key to this effort," Downing Street added.
The agreements with Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo will increase intelligence sharing, expertise and cooperation to "disrupt" "gang business models at source," according to the statement.
These will be similar to the existing agreement the UK already has with Albania, AFP reports.
The UK government says almost 100,000 migrants passed through the Western Balkans last year, making it a "key route used by those who end up in the EU or the UK illegally".
More than 31,000 migrants have arrived in the UK this year after crossing the Channel in dangerous rudimentary vessels, up 18% compared to the same period in 2023. The number is down compared to 2022.
Starmer was due to chair a session on migration at the one-day EPC meeting, which is due to be attended by dozens of EU leaders.
"There is a criminal empire operating on our continent that is taking horrific human tolls and undermining our national security", he said.
"We need to go further and faster, together with our international partners, and fight directly at the heart of these vile people smuggling networks," Starmer concluded. | BGNES