The informal agreement reached by Parliament and Council on Tuesday night will expand the scope of the current directive to include forced marriage, illegal adoption, exploitation of surrogacy and better support for victims.

It will also:

– make sure anti-trafficking and asylum authorities coordinate their activities so that victims of trafficking, who are also in need of international protection, receive appropriate support and protection, and that their right to asylum is respected;

– criminalise the use of services provided by a victim of an offence concerning trafficking in human beings, where the user knows that the victim is exploited, to reduce the demand driving exploitation;

– introduce penalties for companies convicted of trafficking, including excluding them from tendering processes and from reimbursement for public aid or subsidies;

– ensure that prosecutors can choose not to prosecute victims for criminal acts they were coerced into committing, and that they receive…