EL PAcCTO travelled to Lisbon, Portugal, to meet with the Portuguese police and justice institutions in order to present the results of the Programme and specify the modalities of joint work for the upcoming year 2021.
The Minister of Justice of Portugal receives EL PAcCTO
The Minister of Justice of Portugal, Francisca Van Dunem, expressed that the Ministry is fully behind the Programme in terms of strategic support and the interest it has in deepening assistance to Latin American countries in matters of justice. She also took the opportunity to offer the space of the Portuguese presidency of 2021 to develop a second meeting of justice entities between Latin America and Europe.
During the visit to the Portuguese Ministry of Justice, the deputy coordinator of the Presidency of the European Union for 2021, José Luis Lopes da Mota, together with Antonio Folgado, who is also part of the coordination of the Presidency of the European Union for the 2021, received the delegation from the Programme to share information on activities in the field of justice that could be relevant for the Portuguese presidency in the first quarter of 2021.
Some of the most important work topics are data protection, simplified forms of cooperation and the search for secure communication for cooperation networks when transmitting information between countries that need it. Also, to emphasise the regulatory instruments for the protection of female witnesses and the need to increase the relationship with Eurojust and the countries of Latin America.
The Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Administration of Portugal, Ricardo Carrillho, also showed his interest in the fight against environmental crimes and human trafficking and his support for the CLASI and IDEAL activities programmed by EL PAcCTO.
The goal: to strengthen cooperation
On the other hand, the Judicial Police agreed to assign experts specialised in the Programme’s police activities in order to achieve the ambitious objectives of EL PAcCTO. Likewise, a meeting was organised with the representatives of the UELLA Network Executive Secretariat, who committed to further strengthen cooperation in the fight against money laundering between Latin America and Europe. It was also agreed to hold specialised webinars before starting the face-to-face activities.
The Republican National Guard received EL PAcCTO in order to agree on close collaboration in the Jaguar Network and in activities to combat illegal fishing, and experiences on environmental organised crime issues were shared.
A working visit to the Attorney General’s Office
The EL PAcCTO team took the opportunity to meet with Joâo Alberto de Figueiredo Monteiro, Vice Attorney General of the Republic and Carlos Adérito da Silva Teixeira, Secretary General of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), who agreed to the appointment of highly specialised Portuguese prosecutors to work together in the activities of the Programme.
On the other hand, in the Superior Council of the Magistracy the lines of work developed, and those foreseeable in matters of jurisdictional specialisation were looked at and a new focal point of contact was appointed to facilitate and coordinate all the work initiatives proposed and discussed.