An international summit on the fight against organised crime, particularly drug-related crime, opened on Monday at the Port House (Havenhuis) in Antwerp.
The summit brings together ministers and senior officials from Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain, as well as members from the EU agencies for law enforcement (Europol) and criminal justice cooperation (Eurojust), the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson.
The organisers stated that one of the primary aims of the meeting was to take stock of the multi-year programme to combat crime which was developed last year in the Netherlands. They have now produced a joint declaration calling for greater European and global cooperation in the fight against drug-related crime.
Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne, Port of Antwerp CEO Jacques Vandermeiren, Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden and EU Commissioner of Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson. Credit: Belga / Jonas Roosens
The six aforementioned European countries have committed themselves to, among other things, setting up a network of magistrates responsible for ports and airports and setting up a collaboration platform to make logistical procedures less permeable to criminals.
The platform will allow for an easier exchange of information on best practices and drug seizures, and strengthen international collaboration with countries outside of the EU.
The measures set out in the declaration should be effective within three years.
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The objective is to ensure a coordinated approach, particularly for port security, for European delegations in different regions such as Latin America, the Caribbean or the Balkans, and for better mutual legal assistance with the countries where the drugs come from and where the traffickers are hiding.
"There is more and more international collaboration because it is necessary," says Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne. "Problems that arise in Antwerp then become problems for Germany or France, for example."
"We know that criminal organisations are present across borders, so it is important that we are aligned [with other countries]," adds Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden. "It’s about exchanging information, but also ensuring a presence in Latin America to combat the drug trade there, for example."
