Report assessing the impact of existing national law, establishing as a criminal offence the use of services which are the objects of exploitation of trafficking in human beings, on the prevention of trafficking in human beings

This report responds to the requirement of Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims, according to which: "The Commission shall [...] submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council, assessing the impact of existing national law, establishing as a criminal offence the use of services which are the objects of exploitation of trafficking in human beings, on the prevention of trafficking in human beings, accompanied, if necessary, by adequate proposals".

The report provides a description of existing national legislation that criminalises the use of services of victims of trafficking and an assessment of the impact of any such legal measures. It should be read in conjunction with the report assessing the extent to which Member States have taken the necessary measures in order to comply with Directive 2011/36/EU [COM(2016)722]. It also takes into account the first Commission report on the progress made in the fight against trafficking in human beings [COM(2016)267].

In the drafting of this report, the Commission made use of information received from the Member States, through a questionnaire that was sent in May 2016, and consulted with the civil society via the EU Civil Society Platform against Trafficking in Human Beings as well as via the European Commission's Group of Experts on Trafficking in Human Beings.