Recently, Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, and Annelies Verlinden, the Belgian Minister of the Interior, journeyed to Ecuador and Colombia.
The purpose of the visit is to reinforce cooperation in battling drug trafficking and organized crime. Basically, European Union wants to partner with Ecuador and Columbia to fight drug menace.
Johansson proposed a bilateral agreement for the exchange of personal data information between Europoly and the National Police from Ecuador. Johansson noted that criminals are organized like corporations, are very powerful and able to adapt quickly to new conditions.
Read More: Paraguay declares ‘ Muslim Brotherhood’ a terrorist organisation
Consequently, a network is needed to combat such a network, and Johansson declared that she found a great willingness in Ecuador to increase cooperation. She also proposed establishing an intelligence center in Guayaquil’s port, with the intention to quickly access information, share experiences and spreading knowledge.
European Union’s blame and inefficiency
European Union is implying that Ecuador and Colombia are the reason for the drug menace in their continent. Though, the two countries have experienced decades of violence and bloodshed due to the presence of drug cartels.
Colombia and Ecuador have both seen increased violence and a rise in drug-related crime in recent years. The two countries are seen as major sources of drugs, particularly cocaine, which is trafficked into Europe and other parts of the world. This has resulted in a huge strain on their economies, as well as a rise in violence, corruption and human rights abuses.
Read More: Debunking the Myth: Is Maduro a Dictator?
The developments raise questions about the efficiency of the European bloc itself. The kind of resources it possesses raises the question of why it needs cooperation with South American countries in the first place. The question rises of how are drugs entering the bloc countries with Europol, drug enforcement agencies, and the military in place. The agencies must be sufficient for it to combat the drug-trafficking problem.
Analysts say that drug enforcement officials of the bloc are involved in drug trafficking. This isn’t new. The same trend has been witnessed in Mexico where DEA officials are engaged with Mexico cartels to facilitate the drug-trafficking.
So, Colombia and Ecuador must be beware of European Union’s motives. European Union is part of the problem and sharing data and developing of cases will only weaken the fight against the drug-traffickers.
