The EU and Ecuador signed an international agreement to fight organised crime.

Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner and Ecuador's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility Gabriela Sommerfeld signed an agreement on data sharing between Europol and Ecuador to help fight organised crime and terrorism. 

This agreement builds on an existing working arrangement, under which Europol and the Ecuadorian authorities cooperated to seize 80 tonnes of drugs and 36 arrests in March 2025. The new agreement allows Europol and Ecuador to improve the exchange of information, including personal data. The agreement ensures a high level of protection of fundamental rights, including through strong data protection safeguards. 

It is now up to the European Parliament to give its consent to the conclusion of the agreement.

Stepping up information exchange with partner countries is a key element of the EU’s efforts to boost international security cooperation. This was also highlighted in the new European Internal Security Strategy - ProtectEU presented in April 2025. The EU already has a similar agreement with New Zealand. Another such agreement was signed with Brazil in March 2025.