On 7 and 8 April 2025, the expert workshop “Port Cities Against Drug Trafficking: Options, Opportunities and Challenges for EU-LAC Cooperation” was held, organised by the EU-LAC Foundation and the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), with the support of the Senate of Hamburg. The event provided a space to share ideas, experiences, and recommendations to confront the challenge of drug trafficking and strengthen bi-regional cooperation between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean.
The workshop brought together experts from various disciplines; professionals from political and law enforcement authorities; representatives of ports, civil society, and other sectors from the EU, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The meeting facilitated the exchange of knowledge and practical reflections on the challenges and responses to the evolving dynamics of illicit drug trafficking in both regions. The programme included discussions on the governance of drug trafficking in port cities, as well as on supply chains and illicit trafficking routes. Emphasis was placed on ports, their importance and strategic role in the transnational maritime trafficking of narcotics, addressing policies on security, cooperation, and drug trafficking control. Participants also visited the Port of Hamburg, where a presentation was given on the Port Alliance between Hamburg, Rotterdam, and Antwerp.
The workshop also examined state responses to drug trafficking and the political, socio-economic, and institutional factors that facilitate it, as well as civil society responses and the broader consequences of the phenomenon.
The closing session, “Transnational Drug Trafficking in the Global Context: Common Challenges, Comparative Insights and Lessons Learned”, aimed to go beyond transatlantic trafficking of narcotics. It highlighted the global nature of drug trafficking, assessed emerging trends in different regions, and encouraged international exchanges on common issues and effective solutions.
The dialogue, moderated by Prof. Sabine Kurtenbach, GIGA President (ad-interim), included interventions by Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benites de Lugo, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GITOC); Gloria Lai, International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC); Dr. André Bank, German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA); Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Grifitth, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); and Professor Gabriel Feltran, Sciences Po.
During the session, the need for action in areas such as West Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia was underlined, in light of the increasing use of synthetic drugs (including within the labour sector). The issue of money laundering was also addressed, along with the insight that drug trafficking often begins in legal markets. Finally, the Q&A session brought to light other key matters, such as the need to change the narrative around drugs to offer a more nuanced and realistic perspective—especially in educational settings.
At the close of the workshop, GIGA's interim president, Sabine Kurtenbach, stressed “the need for much more research, collaboration, and exchange between academics and partners from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe.”
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the EU-LAC Foundation, Alberto Brunori, emphasised that “this is not an issue exclusive to Latin America and the Caribbean, but a bi-regional one that must be tackled reciprocally.” He also highlighted that “this is a topic that requires synergy between the public and private sectors, as well as between academia and civil society.” Brunori also pointed out the relevance of debating such complex issues in the lead-up to events such as the EU-CELAC Summit.
The expert workshop offered new perspectives for addressing transatlantic drug trafficking in port cities in a more holistic manner. Furthermore, the presence of representatives from both Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union ensured a balanced approach in line with the realities of both regions.
