The European Commission presented the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings (2012-2016). The strategy includes 40 measures that include the establishment of national law enforcement units specialised in human trafficking and the creation of joint European investigation teams to prosecute cross-border trafficking cases.

The EU Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings presented by the European Commission includes 40 concrete and practical measures to be implemented over the next five years. Among them, there are the establishment of national law enforcement units specialised in human trafficking and the creation of joint European investigation teams to prosecute cross-border trafficking cases. In 2010, the Commission already put in place a website to fight human trafficking.

More particularly, the strategy includes prevention, protection and support of the victims, as well as prosecution of the traffickers. It identifies five priorities and outlines a series of initiatives for each of them, such as: supporting the establishment of national law enforcement units specialised in human trafficking; creating joint investigation teams and involving Europol and Eurojust in all cross-border trafficking cases; providing clear information to victims on their rights under EU law and national legislation, in particular their right to assistance and health care, their right to a residence permit and their labour rights; creating an EU Mechanism to better identify, refer, protect and assist trafficked victims; establishing a European Business Coalition against trafficking in Human Beings to improve cooperation between companies and stakeholders; establishing an EU platform of civil society organisations and service providers working on victim protection and assistance in Member States and third countries; and supporting research projects examining the Internet and social networks as increasingly popular recruitment tools for traffickers.

According to the European Commission, this strategy is presented because yet, too few perpetrators end up behind bars while victims struggle to recover and re-integrate themselves into society. In addition, in the latest survey 93% of citizens agreed that EU Member States should cooperate to tackle trafficking in human beings.