Organised crime, sex work and small-scale detention are high on the agenda of the Justice Council on Friday, as Belgian Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt is meeting his counterparts from the 26 other Member States as part of the Belgian Presidency.
Van Tigchelt considers closer cooperation at the European level in the fight against organised crime "crucial." Not only because Member States can act more forcefully when working together, but also to avoid waterbed effects – so that "pushing down" crime in one country will not cause it to "pop up" in another.
If one supply line is cut off in Antwerp, international criminal organisations will undoubtedly operate more through others, Van Tigchelt underlined. An anti-narcotics coalition has already been set up to enhance cooperation between the six countries that encounter international drug trafficking most extensively (Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain and Italy).
The European Port Alliance is also an important body, coordinating security in Europe's ports. Europol was also asked to map criminal networks in Europe so they can be combated more effectively.
Unified voice
Still, additional steps need to be taken. Therefore, Van Tigchelt will advocate a European joining of forces in the diplomatic field, both with regard to countries from which drugs are shipped and those where drug criminals hide.
By speaking with a unified voice and by forming a diplomatic bloc, increased pressure can be put on countries that do not wish to cooperate in extraditing criminals, for example.
Van Tigchelt will also work to establish a European network of magistrates specialising in the combating of criminal organisations. In the Sky ECC investigation, for instance, Belgium successfully gathered a wealth of information that resulted in over 6,000 arrests in other countries.
Credit: Port of Antwerp
There should be more collaborations of this type, Van Tigchelt said. Establishing a specialist network of magistrates will enable crucial information to be shared more rapidly in the early stages of an investigation, so that simultaneous investigations can be carried out immediately in other relevant countries.
This would also enable investigations to be coordinated more effectively, leading to more satisfactory outcomes and the gathering of larger quantities of cross-border evidence. Criminal gangs can thus be dismantled more efficiently on a European level, rather than just closing down one branch of a criminal gang in a specific country.
Sex workers' rights
Van Tigchelt will also address the issue of sex work, considering that efforts should be made within the European Union to improve the rights and working conditions of sex workers. As sex work has an illegal status in many countries, workers often lack social rights, protection and easy access to healthcare and justice, among other things.
Van Tigchelt will begin the debate on how sex workers' rights can be better protected, starting with Belgium. The country was the second in the world (and the first in Europe) to remove sex work from its criminal code in March 2022 – a move that was considered "historic."
Sex workers from across Europe demonstrating for their right to work in Brussels. Credit: Belga / Jacques Collet
Of course, human trafficking and 'abuse of prostitution' should remain punishable. Van Tigchelt's predecessor, Vincent Van Quickenborne, said that by clarifying what was not illegal, the area of prohibited acts – such as trafficking and pimping – became clearer as well.
All this allows sex workers to do their jobs independently. At the same time, a legal framework for employment contracts for sex workers is being drawn up in Belgium.
Small-scale detention
Additionally, as many countries have also shown interest in the Belgian approach to small-scale detention, Van Tigchelt wants to highlight the results to his colleagues from the 26 other Member States.
Small-scale detention better rehabilitates and reintegrates detainees into society, thereby reducing recidivism. It allows staff to tailor their approach to the offenders, give them more responsibility and better tailor the level of security to the target group.
Van Tigchelt will explain how the Belgian justice system is committed to expanding detention houses, where residents prepare for their release in small groups with the help of detention supervisors.
They can go outside to work and take training courses. They also have to be self-reliant and carry out daily chores such as cooking and cleaning. This encourages them to take control of their lives without relapsing into crime.
