Port of Gdansk Authority in the European Port Alliance
By Marek Grzybowski
The Port of Gdansk Maritime Authority joined the European Port Alliance on January 24. The meeting was organized by the Belgian EU Presidency, the European Commission and the Port of Antwerp.
The main topic of the meeting was the Roadmap on the EU action plan to combat illicit drug trafficking and organized crime. Seaports have long been exposed to drug smuggling. Most often, drugs are smuggled mainly in containers. Drugs are hidden among other goods.
Collaborating criminal groups must be faced. – Drug gangs send large shipments to Europe, said Ylva Johansson, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs.
Tomasz Braun, PhD, director of the Port of Gdańsk Strategy and Development Division, took part in the panel. The topic of the panel is counteracting criminal infiltration. Attention was drawn to the use of corruption, intimidation and violence by organized criminal groups to infiltrate public authorities and private companies operating in seaport terminals.
The European Ports Alliance aims at:
- Mobilising the customs community against drugs trafficking to strengthen risk management and more targeted and effective controls in ports, to account for the fact that 70% of drugs seizures made by customs take place in ports;
- Strengthening law enforcement operations in ports and against the criminal organisations orchestrating drugs trafficking with support from Europol, Eurojust, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and through dedicated actions within the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats; and
- Setting up a Public Private Partnership helping against drugs smuggling to raise awareness among the different actors but also to support port authorities and private shipping companies in their role in the fight against drug trafficking and criminal infiltration.