The analysis, that was conducted between October 2025 and April 2026, highlights the following key findings:

• NRMs are becoming more structured and formalised, with most EU Member States strengthening their legal and institutional frameworks. However, differences remain in their legal basis, enforceability and implementation, and formal frameworks do not always translate into consistent practice.
   
• NRMs are predominantly multi-agency frameworks, involving law enforcement, migration and asylum services, social and child protection bodies, labour inspectorates and civil society organisations. While the involvement of these actors is broadly established, coordination challenges remain, and the role of civil society is not always formally anchored. In some Member States, cooperation still relies partly on project-based funding or informal arrangements, which may affect the sustainability and continuity of support.
   
• Early detection remains uneven, with labour exploitation, child trafficking, forced criminality and other less visible forms of trafficking still under-detected. In some systems, reliance on police-centred identification models may limit proactive identification in labour, social, health and migration contexts.
   
• Access to longer-term support remains a challenge, despite improvements in immediate victim protection and assistance. Longer-term measures, including extended accommodation, residence stability for third-country nationals and durable reintegration support, may in practice remain linked to cooperation with authorities, legal proceedings or formal identification decisions.
   
• Cross-border referral is increasingly recognised as an important component of NRMs, but national focal points are at different stages of development across Member States. Procedures, secure communication and follow-up mechanisms are still being strengthened, and continuity of protection following a transfer remains a challenge, including in cases involving third countries.
   
• Monitoring and data systems remain uneven, with data focusing mainly on identified victims and criminal justice outcomes rather than on the functioning and effectiveness of referral mechanisms.

The Policy Paper identifies priorities for further strengthening NRMs, including clearer and more enforceable frameworks, stronger early and multidisciplinary identification, sustained access to victim support, more structured cooperation with civil society, and improved monitoring and data collection. For cross-border referrals, it recommends fully operational national focal points with clear protection mandates and dedicated resources, standardised and multilingual procedures, arrangements to ensure continuity of support following a transfer, and cooperation with relevant non-EU actors and international organisations.

For further information, see the full Policy Paper attached above.