European Union and Ecuador Strengthen Cooperation at the VI Technical Security Roundtable
Over the course of two days, the Roundtable brought together Ecuadorian authorities, representatives of the European Union and its Member States, and teams from EU-funded cooperation programmes to strengthen security, justice and human rights in addressing transnational organised crime, within a framework of shared responsibility.
The opening session was also attended by Rosa Vásquez, Undersecretary for International Cooperation, and Silvia Viceconte, Team Leader for Security and Justice at the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA). The meeting also brought together representatives of the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS), as well as ambassadors and diplomatic representatives from Germany, France, Spain, Hungary, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The Ecuadorian Government was represented by officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, Government, the Interior, National Defence and Public Health, among other ministries, as well as the Council of the Judiciary, the Attorney General's Office, the National Police, the penitentiary authorities and the Armed Forces.
Angélica Arias, Vice-Minister for International Cooperation, reaffirmed the Government of Ecuador's commitment to strengthening security cooperation through a development-oriented approach based on interinstitutional coordination, mutual trust and shared responsibility. She emphasised the importance of linking security efforts with education, healthcare, social inclusion and development through preventive measures that complement the work of security and justice institutions, as well as border control efforts, while ensuring respect for human rights standards.
She also recognised the importance of specialised EU cooperation programmes in addressing Ecuador's national priorities, noting that crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering and illegal mining pose challenges that exceed the country's capacity to tackle them alone. In this context, she called for predictable cooperation aligned with Ecuador's priorities, with a view to jointly establishing a roadmap with the European Union and its Member States, setting out clear objectives and achievable commitments to protect citizens, strengthen the rule of law and promote socioeconomic development.
For her part, Jekaterina Doródnova, Ambassador of the European Union to Ecuador, emphasised the shared nature of these security challenges and the EU's long-term commitment to Ecuador. She highlighted that EU cooperation combines law enforcement measures with institutional capacity-building, financial intelligence and prevention efforts focused on social inclusion and community cohesion.
“A safe society is one that not only fights crime with the full institutional strength of the State, but also offers its young people opportunities for reintegration, education, employment and a future”
The two-day Roundtable provided an opportunity to review progress made under cooperation programmes such as EL PAcCTO 2.0, COPOLAD III, EUROFRONT, SEACOP, CRIMARIO and AIRCOP, as well as the bilateral initiatives SERPAZ and EUFORT-EC. These initiatives support judicial cooperation, drug policies, border management, maritime, port and airport security, the fight against money laundering, prison management, and efforts to prevent violence and the recruitment of young people by criminal organisations. Discussions also covered cooperation in cybersecurity and the fight against cybercrime, including initiatives such as Tinkuy, LAC4 and EU-LAC CyberSHIELD.
Through this engagement, the European Union reaffirms its commitment to supporting Ecuador through a Team Europe approach, promoting cooperation grounded in shared responsibility, institutional strengthening, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.