Source description last updated: 7 May 2020

In brief: The Group of Experts against Trafficking in Human Beings (CoE-GRETA), is a body of the Council of Europe composed of independent experts monitoring the implementation of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

Coverage on ecoi.net:

Evaluation Reports.

Covered weekly on ecoi.net, for countries of priorities A-C.

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

CoE-GRETA “shall monitor the implementation of the Convention [on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings] by the parties. GRETA shall do so in conformity with the procedure laid down in article 38 of the Convention and the Rules on the evaluation procedure of the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings by the parties”. (CoE - Council of Europe: Internal rules of procedure of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) Secretariat, p.3, 2009)

Funding:

“The Council of Europe’s total budget for 2020 totals € 496 million, and is financed mainly by the member states.” (CoE website: Budget, undated)

Scope of reporting:

Geographic: parties to the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings

Thematic: trafficking in human beings

Methodology:

“GRETA’s reports are based on information gathered from a variety of sources and contain recommendations intended to strengthen the implementation of the Convention by the party concerned. In its recommendations, GRETA has adopted the use of three different verbs – ‘urge’, ‘consider’ and ‘invite’ - which correspond to different levels of urgency of the recommended action for bringing the party’s legislation and/or practice into compliance with the Convention. GRETA uses the verb ‘urge’ when it assesses that the country’s legislation or policy are not in compliance with the Convention, or when it finds that despite the existence of legal provisions and other measures, the implementation of a obligation of the Convention is lacking. In other situations, GRETA ‘considers’ that it is necessary to make improvements in order to fully comply with an obligation of the Convention. By ‘inviting’ a country to pursue its efforts in a given area, GRETA acknowledges that the authorities are on the right track.

As regards the procedure for the preparation of reports, GRETA examines a draft report on each

party in a plenary session. The process of confidential dialogue with the national authorities allows the latter to submit, within two months, comments on GRETA’s draft report with a view to providing additional information or correcting any possible factual errors. These comments are taken into account by GRETA when establishing its final report. The final report is adopted by GRETA in a plenary session and transmitted to the party concerned, which is invited to submit any final comments. At the expiry of the time-limit of one month GRETA’s report, together with eventual comments by the party concerned, is made public and sent to the Committee of the Parties to the Convention.“ (CoE-GRETA: Report concerning the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings by Azerbaijan, 23 November 2018, p. 4)

Language(s) of publications:

English, French

Further reading / links:

CoE: Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, 16 May 2005

All links accessed 7 May 2020.