The ports unite against drugs

Europe’s major ports make common cause against the drug mafia. An alliance at EU level must spread experience and knowledge about the smugglers.

– We have an enormously big problem, warns EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson at the alliance launch in Antwerp.

In the elegant port office in Europe’s second largest port, ministers and port directors from everything from Gdansk to Algeciras are on site.

Sweden’s Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) has brought port managers Bart Steijaert from Helsingborg and Göran Eriksson from Gothenburg to join the EU’s new port alliance.

– It takes a network to fight a network, states the European Commission’s Ylva Johansson, who is one of the initiators behind the alliance.

– Half of all murders in the EU are related to drug trafficking and drug smuggling in various ways, and this is also seen in Sweden. We need to do more in this area and we need to collaborate more, she says.

To Ecuador

The idea is that both ports and authorities should be able to exchange information and experiences, on everything from security systems to how to deal with threats and corruption.

– All relevant issues relating to law enforcement and security around our ports will now be discussed and handled in a very practical and operational way between member states, EU institutions, our authorities and private actors, says Gunnar Strömmer.

The cooperation must also affect the countries from which the drugs are smuggled. For example, EU staff are to inspect the port of Guayaquil in Ecuador – which has taken over as one of Latin America’s main gateways for cocaine – to help them with security.

Scan more!

The industry gives the thumbs up – not least to avoid the problem just being moved on when the smugglers move between different ports.

– This is the biggest challenge we have. The cooperation that we are trying to achieve here, I think, counteracts that. We can learn from each other, says Bart Steijaert from Helsingborg.

At the same time, he would also like to see increased government investment – not least so that customs can scan more containers from suspicious destinations.

– Region syd has a scanner that is moved between the various ports. We would like to see more come so that we can have a permanent scanner in Helsingborg, says port manager Steijaert.

FACT EU Port Alliance

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