Dublin, 16 July 2026
Partners from across Europe met in Dublin to advance joint efforts to protect ports from organised crime.
Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan TD, today hosted the third ministerial meeting of the European Ports Alliance Public-Private Partnership (EPA-PPP) in Dublin Castle and at Dublin Port. The meeting directly followed the first day of the informal meeting of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Ministers as part of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Launched in January 2024, the Alliance aims to bolster the security and resilience of EU ports against organised crime and drug trafficking, a key priority of the ProtectEU Strategy.
The meeting was attended by ministers, ports authorities, European associations, EU agencies and representatives from customs and law enforcement authorities.
Speaking about the Alliance, Minister O’Callaghan said:
“‘Ní neart go cur le chéile’ – strength in unity – is the motto of the Irish Presidency and nowhere is that more evident than in the work undertaken by the European Ports Alliance.
Keeping Europe safe and secure, including by confronting serious and organised crime, is a priority for the Irish Presidency, and we see the work of the European Port Alliance and the implementation of the EU Ports Strategy as two key elements in delivering on that priority.”
The meeting of the EPA commenced with opening addresses by Minister O’Callaghan and Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, followed by a keynote address from Lorraine Nolan, Executive Director of the EU Drugs Agency (EUDA), on the issue of drug trafficking through ports, followed by a panel discussion on the topic.
The panel was made up of Maura Kiely, Revenue Commissioner, Fernando Perreau de Pinninck, Director General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) at the European Commission, Uwe Köhn, President of the European Federation of Inland Ports and Director of the Port of Mannheim, and Simon Delfau, Head of Special Operations/ Global Security and Business Resilience at A. P. Moller – Maersk.
The Panel discussion was moderated by Doncha O’Sullivan, Secretary General of the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
Speaking about the discussion, Minister O’Callaghan said:
“The collective breadth and experience of the panellists provided an insight to, and deeper understanding of, the threats and challenges we face, their evolving nature and how we can assess and respond to them.
Our strength lies in unity – in cooperation, in our shared commitment to protecting the communities we live and work in, and in using our different roles and actions in a collective way to prevent the infiltration and use of our Ports by criminals.”
The meeting then transferred to Dublin Port, where attendees were treated to a live demonstration of the tools and tactics deployed by An Garda Síochána and the Revenue Commissioners who work closely together to tackle drug trafficking in Ireland.
Commenting on the demonstration, Minister O’Callaghan said:
“Dublin Port handles about 80% of all freight in Ireland. With over 15,000 ship movements a year, the port plays a critical role in the supply chain system. It is vital to our economy and must be protected from criminals using it to move contraband.
I would like to thank the members of An Garda Síochána and officials from Revenue for what was a very interesting demonstration. It was instructive to see port security infrastructure in action.”
More information in relation to the European Ports Alliance is available here.
Source – Irish EU Council Presidency