It also calls for more aggressive action to counter transnational repression, including visa bans, the expulsion of diplomats, and swifter mobilization of sanctions. “Transnational repression bundles a lot of concerns together around human rights, security, and foreign interference,” Alexander Dukalskis, a co-author of the report and assistant professor at the University of Dublin, said via email. In recent years, the report said, the EU has increasingly become the site of transnational repression by proxy — including by criminal organizations, which are hired to carry out surveillance, harassment or violence. The EU has made some progress since China Targets was publishe in April 2025. “There’s clearly awareness of transnational repression as an idea,” Schenkkan said.