From 28 to 30 April 2025, the European Ports Alliance convened its 2nd Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) in Gdańsk, Poland. Organised by the European Commission’s DG HOME and the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the meeting brought together senior public and private stakeholders to assess progress on port security, corruption prevention and digital innovation. The event marked a key milestone in the EU’s fight against organised crime and drug trafficking, core priorities under the EU Action Plan on Drugs and the recently adopted ProtectEU Internal Security Strategy.
In an increasingly complex threat environment, discussions highlighted the need to strengthen the resilience of European ports, improve risk management across the logistics chain and foster stronger public-private cooperation to counter organised crime and hybrid threats. EU agencies also presented new intelligence on emerging maritime drug trafficking routes, underlining the adaptive tactics of criminal networks. The findings echoed the Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA 2025), which stresses the so-called “waterbed effect”, where enforcement in one port leads to the displacement of criminal activity to others, reinforcing the need for coordinated EU-wide resilience policies.
FEPORT was represented by its President, Mr Gunther Bonz, who contributed actively to the thematic sessions. He underlined the vulnerabilities linked to the infiltration of criminal networks, the urgent need for harmonised and efficient background checks, and the importance of clear EU-level guidance on data sharing under GDPR. Mr Bonz also called for formalised public-private cooperation frameworks, the promotion of whistleblowing mechanisms and better alignment of personnel security measures with broader port resilience efforts. He welcomed discussions on expanding the Alliance’s membership and strengthening international cooperation to address transnational criminal threats more effectively.
FEPORT reaffirmed its commitment to supporting secure, resilient and efficient European ports through enhanced collaboration with policymakers and maritime stakeholders. The outcomes of the meeting will contribute to shaping the forthcoming EU Ports Strategy, expected by the end of 2025.
