MARRI and European Development Academy Workshop Strengthens Change Management Skills in the area of Financial Investigations for Combating Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking

Skopje, North Macedonia – On October 17th, the Migration, Asylum and Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI) and the European Development Academy from Slovenia co-organized a 1-day hybrid workshop to explore innovative approaches to combating migrant smuggling and human trafficking. Held at the MARRI Regional Centre in Skopje, the workshop was attended by experienced border control experts with from all Western Balkans —Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo*—for an engaging and transformative session on using financial investigations as a key tool in dismantling criminal networks orchestrating migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

The workshop highlighted the novel approach of employing financial investigations to target the masterminds behind these crimes, rather than focusing solely on field operatives or guides. By addressing the root causes through measures such as the confiscation of criminal assets, this method offers a pathway to disrupt the core structures of organized networks. The potential of this approach lies in its ability to dismantle financial lifelines, thus weakening the operational capacity of such networks over the long term.

Participants were introduced to the ADKAR model (awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement), an effective change-management framework developed by Hiatt (2006). Through Slovenian case studies, they explored how financial investigations can be integrated into existing strategies to yield better results. The interactive format encouraged participants to share concrete examples from their own countries, creating a collaborative environment for knowledge exchange and mutual learning. Using the SCS (Stop/Continue/Start) model, the group worked on action plans to implement financial investigations as a central component in combating migrant smuggling and human trafficking, with a focus on targeting criminal organizers and their illicit gains.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.