Commissioner Gentiloni's keynote speech at the launch of the European Ports Alliance

Commissioner Gentiloni on European Ports Alliance launch

Good afternoon. It's a pleasure to be here in Antwerp for the launch of the European Ports Alliance.

The port of Antwerp is the most important economic hub in Belgium and the second largest port in Europe. It is a symbol of the country's dynamism and a crossroads for international trade.

But this and other major ports across Europe have also become the main entry points for drugs in the EU: more than 70% of all drug seizures happen in ports. Drug trafficking disrupts ports' operations and their future development. But more than that: the drug trade spills over into our societies and economies. It breeds violence and corruption. Too often, innocent citizens are caught in the crossfire.

In recent years, drugs entering the Union – mostly cocaine from Latin America – have increased by an order of magnitude. This scourge must be tackled urgently. We can only succeed by strengthening our cooperation at all levels – local, national and European. And by bringing together the public and private sector. That is what this Alliance is about.

Customs, law enforcement, port authorities and private companies all have different expertise, resources and access to information. Bringing these resources and this data together is crucial.

In May last year, the Commission proposed an ambitious customs reform, which includes the creation of an EU Customs Data Hub. It would gather data centrally at EU level and allow for a more efficient exchange of information with other authorities, such as the police or EUROPOL.

The European dimension is key here. Criminals exploit gaps and weaknesses in our enforcement model. Better cooperation at the level of local ports is essential. But we need to ensure all European ports are equally effective in order to avoid ‘port shopping'.

Here too, the new customs legislation could make an important contribution. We have proposed to set up an EU Customs Authority, a new EU agency with central data analysis and risk management capabilities. This will ensure more effective targeting of suspicious consignments, wherever they enter the EU.

And we cannot ignore the international dimension. We need to strengthen our collaboration with authorities in the ports of origin to stop drugs even before they leave for Europe. We must turn off the tap on both sides of the Atlantic.

Finally, we need to invest in innovation. The Italian comedian Roberto Benigni once joked that to defeat the mafia the State needed to become more like it. What he meant was that criminal gangs run efficient organisations. They invest in the best equipment and technologies to stay one step ahead of law enforcement. We see this in the drug trade as well.

So we, too, must become more efficient and innovation-focused. Our control methods, techniques and equipment need to be top notch.

We need to jointly invest in new technologies, at our entry points and in customs laboratories. That is why the Commission has earmarked more than 200 million euros to fund state-of-the-art equipment via the Customs Control Equipment Instrument programme.

The European Ports Alliance is an important step in the right direction, and the customs reform at EU level – once finalised – will make it even more effective.

What this public-private partnership shows is that the only way we can stay one step ahead of drug traffickers is by working together throughout the entire security chain. It takes a network to beat a network.

Thank you.