Source: European Parliament
Following the meeting of 28 September 2023 between ministers responsible for internal security from the EU and CLASI (Latin American Committee on Internal Security), the first EU-CLASI senior officials meeting was held on 30 May 2024.
On that occasion, working procedures to structure and make permanent the cooperation between the two regions were agreed[1]. Further to the ministers’ call for regular meetings, it was proposed that an EU-CLASI meeting cycle be established.
The EU-CLASI meeting cycle spans 18 months (three consecutive semesters) and comprises three meeting configurations, involving ministers and senior officials.
The next ministerial meeting is due to take place in the first half of 2025, in Brussels.
The preparatory meeting held on 28 November 2024, co-chaired by the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the pro tempore Presidency of CLASI, the Republic of Ecuador, allowed senior officials of EU and CLASI instances to take stock of the progress made during the cycle, with a view to reporting on the outcome to the ministerial meeting.
EU-CLASI cooperation benefits from the support of the EU’s Europe-Latin America assistance programme against transnational organised crime (EL PAcCTO).
Since 2017, EL PAcCTO has helped foster a strategic partnership between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean region in the fight against organised crime.
In its second phase of implementation, EL PAcCTO 2.0, running from 2024 to 2027, continues to be a crucial instrument for supporting the launch and implementation of key initiatives within and between these regions.
The EU’s cooperation with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on drug-related matters is also pursued through the EU-CELAC Coordination and Cooperation Mechanism on Drugs.
The Mechanism is supported by the EU cooperation programme on drugs policies between Latin America, the Caribbean and the EU ( COPOLAD).