Ministers in charge of security matters from Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama and the Dominican Republic visited Eurojust today to discuss cooperation in the fight against serious organised crime. These countries are members of CLASI, a Committee to coordinate public policies against crime in Latin America.
The visit was part of the ministers’ tour of the European Union institutions carried out from 2 to 4 March in the framework of the Europe Latin America Programme of Assistance against Transnational Organised Crime (EL PAcCTO).
Latin America is a priority region for Eurojust. In an increasingly globalised world, bringing EU Member States and Latin American countries closer together is of key importance to fight serious organised crime, such as drug trafficking, money laundering and migrant smuggling.
The Ministers were welcomed to Eurojust’s premises by Vice-President, Mr Boštjan Škrlec. They received a presentation about Eurojust’s activities and relations with third countries by Mr Jose de La Mata and Mr Antonio Cluny, Eurojust National Members for Spain and Portugal, respectively.
The Ministers’ visit to Eurojust was the last stop of a tour of various EU institutions and bodies in Brussels and The Hague organised in the framework of the international cooperation programme, EL PAcCTO. Funded by the European Union, EL PAcCTO aims to reinforce cooperation between 18 Latin-American countries and the EU in the fight against cross-border crime.
Eurojust has supported EL PAcCTO since its establishment in 2017 by hosting study visits and meetings with Latin American authorities. The Agency has also facilitated contacts and provided advice on the use of judicial cooperation instruments.
With the help of EL PAcCTO, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Mexico have already appointed their first contact points at Eurojust. Contact points serve as an essential first means of cooperating with competent authorities in third countries. They help to establish rapid liaisons between judicial authorities when cross-border crime extends beyond the borders of the EU Member States. They can also work alongside judicial authorities and participate in coordination meetings.
On 3 March, the EU Ministers and Latin American Ministers members of CLASI signed a joint declaration of cooperation at the Council of the European Union in Brussels. This political statement calls for joint efforts to strengthen political dialogue and develop the regional and international law enforcement cooperation needed to fight organised crime more effectively.
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union