Seven European Union (EU) countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, have prepared proposals calling for more uniform security standards in European ports in order to stem the infiltration of those trade hubs by organized crime groups, reports the Financial Times (FT).

In their paper, seen by the FT, the countries propose harmonizing security standards at ports, for instance implementing “uniform screening procedures for port personnel, crew members and foreign experts.”

Law enforcement agencies should also share more information on seizures of illegal goods and criminals’ strategies, such as which shipping companies and terminals they use, the paper proposes. They urge the European Commission, which is working on several initiatives to fight crime, to “strengthen the available monitoring and reporting tools.”

This “will contribute to identifying the most effective measures to implement on a national, EU or global level”, they write.

“Drug criminals spare no one in their threats and intimidation to advance their illegal practices: judges, prosecutors, police officers, journalists and mayors”, said Dutch justice minister David van Weel. “Port employees too, working at a major drug transit location, must become resilient to the practices of drug criminals.”

The so-called European ports alliance is meeting in Gdansk, including government officials and representatives from the private sector aiming to better co-operate on fighting organized crime and drugs trafficking.