Pedro Assares: How the EU reduces the risks of labour exploitation and human trafficking

The presentation focuses on the mandate and activities of the European Labour Authority (ELA), the EU agency based in Bratislava, which strives to ensure fair labour mobility across the Union. The presentation explains where ELA encounters irregularities connected to labour exploitation, what makes labour inspectors unique in detecting labour exploitation, and why there is an overlap between what the labour inspectors and law enforcement authorities do in the area of labour abuse. It summarizes how ELA addresses trafficking for labour exploitation, especially when it comes to joint labour inspections, capacity building, as well as national and EU-level cooperation and the conflict in Ukraine.

This presentation was part of the EMN Slovakia’s National Conference entitled Dignified Labour Conditions as a Tool to Fight Modern Slavery which took place in Bratislava on 1 December 2022. The Conference was organised by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as the coordinator of the EMN National Contact Point for the Slovak Republic. The EMN is funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic. 

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