Human smuggling at EU-internal transit points: strengths of a disorganised illegal market and how to effectively reduce it

The reinstating of temporary EU-internal physical borders and their increased safeguarding through border checks has increased the dependence of irregular migrants on organised criminal groups (OCGs) in facilitating their journeys. The article explores organisational structure and operation of OCGs operating within this under-researched human smuggling context, with a focus on the transit stage between Northern Italy and Central Europe. Results of a secondary source – and expert interview analysis reveal that these OCGs are small, multi-ethnic, decentralised, with a basic higher- and lower-tier organisational structure but can be far-reaching. It is argued that law enforcement methods alone do not suffice in reducing this illicit market and require political and socio-economic market reduction strategies, which address the precarity of human smugglers. Importantly, active labour market policies, alternatives to monetary sanctioning and urban development are measures, which constitute an increasingly defended approach for addressing illicit markets in a more long-term sustainable manner.