On 2 March, the Commission proposed a pilot project to strengthen the exchange of information between Europol and Colombia to investigate and bring criminals to justice and to dismantle organised criminal structures that are behind the production and trafficking of drugs.
The pilot project, which will be defined by a group of Member States, will aim to strengthen the support for the Colombian authorities to:
- Identify members of criminal groups that operate in EU countries and in Colombia;
- Coordinate operations targeting drug trafficking in containers;
- Conduct financial investigations that will lead to tracing, freezing and confiscating drugs-related criminal proceeds and assets;
- Detect and dismantle organised crime groups that are involved in drug production and trafficking between Colombia and the EU;
- Make it difficult for criminals to traffic drugs in multiple countries and the EU;
- Identify, arrest, and bring to justice criminals.
The EU supports the fight against transnational organised crime through EL PAcCTO (Europe Latin America Programme of Assistance against Transnational Organised Crime). This pilot project is proposed to be implemented in the framework of EL PAcCTO 2.0, whose activities are planned to start during the second semester 2023.
Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, said:
“Exchanging information is key to disrupt organised crime. Today we deliver on our commitment to make sure that criminals cannot escape justice because of the lack of law enforcement cooperation. We are looking forward to starting to implement this pilot project with Colombia and the support of the EU Member States of the future consortium of EL PAcCTO 2.0”.
Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, said:
“We are proud to cooperate with Colombia and others on EL PAcCTO 2.0 as part of our commitment to boost relations between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean. This future programme will help repair social fabrics and prevent people, especially young people, from being drawn into organised crime.”
Colombia is the only country in the region with a bilateral agreement for the exchange of information with Europol. The pilot project with Colombia will serve as an example to support countries in Latin America to sign information exchange agreements with Europol, and boost the cooperation between Europol and Ameripol, the Latin American mechanism of police cooperation.
Next Steps
A group of EU Member States participating to the new EL PAcCTO 2.0 will be set up. Participating EU Member States will then discuss on the operational launch of the pilot project.
Background
EU-Colombia relations are close and encompass a wide range of sectors. The first EU-Colombia Dialogue on Drugs was held on 17 June 2022, in Bogotá. During this meeting, the EU and Colombia stressed the importance of putting forward a plan on the exchange of information between Colombia and Europol. The second edition of the dialogue with Colombia will take place in September 2023 in Brussels.
For More Information