24/04/2026
The Permanent Representation of Portugal to the EU hosted a discussion on Maritime Security and Cooperation against Drug Trafficking between the EU and Latin America & the Caribbean, bringing together close to 100 participants, including several Ambassadors of Latin American countries to the EU, diplomats, EU officials, representatives of international organisations, including the United Nations (UNODC), and operational actors.
The event highlighted the strategic importance of EU–LAC cooperation in addressing transnational organised crime, with maritime routes, ports, and global supply chains increasingly exploited by criminal networks that connect both sides of the Atlantic.
Discussions featured contributions from the Permanent Representative of Portugal to the Political and Security Committee, Ambassador, Ana Paula Moreira, Ambassador Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva of Brasil, Ambassador Luis Enrique Chávez Basagoitia of Embajada del Perú en Bélgica y Misión ante la Unión Europea, senior representatives of the European External Action Service, namely the EU Coordinator for Maritime Security and Deputy Director in the EEAS Security and Defence Policy Directorate, and operational perspectives from the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC_N) and the Portuguese Judiciary Police.
A key takeaway was the shared understanding that maritime security and the fight against drug trafficking are inseparable, and that political convergence must translate into operational cooperation, including port security, intelligence‑sharing and joint action at sea. The debate also underscored that drug trafficking cannot be seen in isolation, but as part of a broader and highly complex criminal ecosystem, interconnected with money laundering, arms trafficking, environmental crimes and the infiltration of strategic economic sectors. Effectively countering this threat requires a combined focus, particularly on the economic and financial structures that sustain organised crime, including funding sources, financial flows and criminal pe*******on into licit markets.
Portugal underscored its commitment to this agenda, drawing on its unique role as host to key European agencies and platforms, and as a bridge between Europe and Latin America, contributing to turning dialogue into concrete, operational results at sea, ports and beyond.
The event reaffirmed that shared EU-LAC challenges require shared responsibility — and that trust-based, results-oriented cooperation remains essential to effectively disrupt transnational organised criminal networks across Europe and the Americas.
