Brussels, 25 January 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The European Union on Wednesday launched a new initiative to combat organized crime and drug trafficking via ports.

"Europe has a drug problem – and it is getting worse," EU Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said at the launch of the new initiative in the Belgian city of Antwerp.

"To tackle the growing inflows of cocaine and other illicit substances into the EU, we need customs, law enforcement and port authorities to work more closely and more effectively together," Gentiloni said.

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said that the "vast majority" of illegal drugs entering the bloc are trafficked along maritime routes.

"Organised Crime is adept at moving from one port to another, as opportunities rise and fall. To challenge this network we must build a network," Johansson said.

The EU said the new alliance would allow customs authorities to carry out more targeted checks in the ports. Criminal gangs could be prosecuted more vigorously in future with the support of European police authority Europol and the European Public Prosecutor's Office.

The harbour alliance also wants to establish a public-private partnership to combat drug smuggling and identify possible weak points and find practical solutions for more security in the harbours.

The European Commission, the countries of the European Union, port authorities, agencies such as Europol and customs authorities will be involved in the new initiative.

Major European ports such as Antwerp, Rotterdam and Hamburg play a particularly important role in drug trafficking into Europe.

In Belgium alone, the authorities seized a record 121 tonnes of cocaine in the port of Antwerp in 2023, according to the European Commission, a 10% increase compared to the previous year.

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