On 1st of July, the European Commission announced that Ms. Diane Schmitt took up the function of EU Anti-trafficking Coordinator (ATC). Earlier Mr. Olivier Onidi had been appointed in March 2020, as acting ATC. In the course of 2019 and 2020, LSI inquired with the Commission stressing the importance of the work of the EU AT Coordinator as mandated in the EU Anti-Trafficking Directive and calling for transparency in the process of appointment. We regret that our queries for a more transparent process were not addressed. Yet, we welcome the Commission’s announcement and are hopeful that the EU AT Coordinator will engage with civil society organisations to promote better implementation of existing legislation and effective protection of the rights of trafficked persons.
The Anti-Trafficking Coordinator is responsible for improving coordination and coherence among EU institutions, EU agencies, Member States and international actors, and for developing EU policies to address Trafficking in Human Beings. This also includes monitoring the implementation of the new EU Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings 2021-2025.
Ms. Diane Schmitt is from Luxembourg and studied law in France. She has spent most of her career in the European Commission where she has held different positions and functions across various policy areas in particular related to migration policies. Before her appointment, Diane Schmitt was Adviser for Enhancing External and Internal Policy Aspects of Migration and Security at DG Home and Migration and from 2014 until 2019, she was Head of Cabinet of the European Commissioner in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship and she contributed to the strategic development and implementation of the European policy on migration, border management and security, including cooperation with non-EU countries.
We wish to congratulate Ms Smith on her new appointment and look forward to establishing fruitful cooperation with her and her office.