EU supports Central America in fight against #OrganizedCrime
The Commission has announced €20 million to improve co-operation on criminal investigations and the prosecution of cases of transnational crime and drug trafficking across Central America.
The regional programme – known as ICRIME – aims to strengthen efforts to fight against cross-border organized crime and will support El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Belize, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.
International Cooperation and Development Commissioner Neven Mimica said: “Cross-border criminal activities are a major challenge for the economic development of Central America. The fight against organized crime concerns us all, as criminal activities do not stop at borders. With this new regional action, the EU supports the Central American countries in their efforts to clamp down on transnational organized crime and strengthening regional integration.”
Commissioner Mimica signed the financing agreement with the Secretary-General of the Central American Integration System, Vinicio Cerezo, on 4 December. The EU will contribute €20 million, while Spain and the Secretariat General of the Central American Integration System (SICA) will contribute €1m and €500,000, respectively.
The programme will help the countries involved in the programme to increase information sharing, use each other’s evidence, and co-ordinate operations on the ground. Therefore it will support criminal investigations and prosecution chains at different levels, focusing on transnational co-operation between the police, forensic institutes, prosecutors and the judiciary. More information is available here.
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