Fight against organised crime: Commissioner Johansson in Lisbon on Monday

© European Union, 2021, Source: EC - Audiovisual Service, Ylva Johansson© European Union, 2021, Source: EC - Audiovisual Service, Ylva Johansson

Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson will be in Lisbon on Monday 12 April for a series of events related to fighting organised crime. She will first deliver a keynote speech at the launch event for the latest Europol serious and organised crime threat assessment report, which will analyse the main crime threats facing the EU and deliver recommendations. Commissioner Johansson will then meet Alexis Goosdeel, Executive Director of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. In the afternoon, the Commissioner will meet Michael O’Sullivan, Director of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre on Narcotics, working on tackling maritime drugs trafficking in Europe. The EU’s drugs agency and the Centre – both based in Lisbon – contribute to fighting drugs trafficking, which is one of the Commission’s priorities as outlined in the recent EU Agenda and Action Plan on Drugs for 2021-2025. Commissioner Johansson said: “Organised crime is a truly transnational threat to our societies. That’s why Europol’s threat assessment presented today is such an important report for identifying shifts in the serious and organised crime landscape in the EU. I look forward to joining the launch event for this year’s report at the headquarters of the Policia Judicária in Lisbon. Drugs trafficking remains a major source of income for organised crime groups in the EU. I will visit the EU’s drugs agency, in charge of providing the needed fact based data on drugs issues, as well as the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre to discuss practical cooperation to fight drugs trafficking by sea and air.” The visit takes place 2 days ahead of the presentation by the Commission on 14 April of a new Strategy to tackle organised crime. Photo and video coverage of the trip will be available on EbS.