A high-level delegation of magistrates from the Court of Appeal in Aix-en-Provence, France, visited Eurojust on 12-14 April. The aim of the visit was to discuss with judicial authorities in Italy and Spain the current trends on drug trafficking in ports and to pave the way for further and stronger cooperation.
Following an analysis on the raise of trafficking of narcotics through the Port of Marseille, the General Public Prosecutor's Office (GPPO) Aix-en-Provence initiated contacts with their peers in Italy, GPPO Genova, and in Spain, Audiencia Nacional, to discuss this phenomenon in the Mediterranean ports.
Starting as an exchange of good practices, the aim of the French initiative is to establish a stable task force on Mediterranean ports, with the objective of bringing together judicial and law enforcement authorities to provide a stronger and more efficient response to the traffickers.
The French delegation also visited the Port of Rotterdam, guided by Dutch judicial and customs representatives. Furthermore, they met with the Head of the EU Drug Unit at Europol, who provided them with an overview of the worldwide narcotics trafficking phenomenon, and the response in terms of international police cooperation at the agency.
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union