JAVIER ZARZALEJOS CHAIRS LIBE DEBATE ON EU-LATIN AMERICA SECURITY COOPERATION

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament, under the chairmanship of Javier Zarzalejos, held on March 6 an exchange of views on security cooperation between the European Union and Latin America, as well as the role of parliamentary diplomacy in this field. The debate was attended by the Delegation of the European Parliament to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (DLAT).

During the session, LIBE members welcomed Xavier Aliaga, Ambassador of Ecuador and outgoing President of the Latin American Committee on Internal Security (CLASI); Carolina Leitao Álvarez-Salamanca, Undersecretary for Crime Prevention of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security of Chile and incoming President of CLASI; and Olivier Onidi, Deputy Director General of the European Commission for Schengen and Internal Security.

The debate focused on the need to strengthen EU-Latin American cooperation in the face of threats such as organized crime, human trafficking, international drug trafficking and cybercrime. MEPs discussed key issues with the speakers, such as the European Ports Alliance, the root causes of drug trafficking and the exchange of personal data between Europol and Latin American authorities. Zarzalejos highlighted the role of the European Parliament in this joint effort and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening transatlantic security cooperation.