Seven EU member states, including the Netherlands and Belgium, have prepared recommendations to improve security in the community's ports in order to combat organized crime, the British newspaper Financial Times (FT) reported, citing a document it obtained.
It is proposed to unify security standards by introducing, in particular, “unified procedures for checking port staff, crew members and foreign experts“. According to the authors of the document, law enforcement agencies should further share information with each other about seizures of illegal goods and the strategies of criminals, for example, about the shipping companies and transport terminals they use. The document calls on the European Commission (EC) to “strengthen existing monitoring and reporting tools“ to identify the most effective enforcement measures both in EU member states and at “European or global level“.
Dutch Minister of Security and Justice David van Wiel told the newspaper that ports are major transit points for drug trafficking and that their staff “must become more resilient to the actions of drug criminals“ who “sparing no one in their threats and intimidation“.
The so-called European Ports Alliance is meeting in Gdansk from 28 to 30 April. According to the FT, during the event, EU and private sector representatives intend to discuss cooperation in the fight against organised crime and drug trafficking.
Most drugs entering the European Union are transported by sea. According to EC data for January 2024, 70% of drug seizures by EU customs authorities took place in the community's ports.