In the elegant port office in Europe's second largest port, ministers and port directors from everything from Gdansk to Algeciras are on site.
Sweden's Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) has brought port managers Bart Steijaert from Helsingborg and Göran Eriksson from Gothenburg to join the EU's new port alliance.
- It takes a network to fight a network, states the European Commission's Ylva Johansson, who is one of the initiators behind the alliance.
Cooperation also in Ecuador
The idea is that both ports and authorities should be able to exchange information and experiences, on everything from security systems to how to deal with threats and corruption.
- All relevant issues relating to law enforcement and security around our ports will now be discussed and handled in a very practical and operational way between member states, EU institutions, our authorities and private actors, says Gunnar Strömmer (M).
The cooperation must also affect the countries from which the drugs are smuggled.
For example, EU staff are to inspect the port of Guayaquil in Ecuador - which has taken over as one of Latin America's main gateways for cocaine - to help them with security.