The European Union needs a new sanctions systems targeting people smugglers and traffickers, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, adding it should be part of measures allowing the bloc to manage migration “effectively.”

“The people of Europe have shown they are willing to help those fleeing war and persecution. But there is a growing sense of frustration, stemming from their impression that our rules are being ignored,” von der Leyen told the European Parliament in her annual State of the Union speech.

“We in Europe must be the ones to decide who comes to us and in what circumstances, not the people-smugglers and traffickers,” she said, adding: “We need a new system of sanctions specifically targeted at people smugglers and traffickers.”

Von der Leyen said such sanctions would freeze smugglers’ and traffickers’ assets, restrict their movement and cut off their profits. [Reuters]