Employees may be less inclined to report suspicious behaviour due to social pressures in the workplace.

What is the issue?

Due to high-quality physical, digital and knowledge infrastructure in the Netherlands, the Dutch main ports are important hubs in the global economy and function as a gateway to the European market. Schiphol Airport is one of Europe’s largest airports while the Port of Rotterdam is Europe’s largest container and bulk port. However, their sophisticated facilities make these main ports attractive targets for organised crime groups looking to traffic illicit substances and goods such as drugs, thereby increasing corruption risks. While it is the case that some these illicit goods are intended for the domestic Dutch market, most drugs appear to be smuggled into the European hinterland via road, water, or rail links.

Awareness of the risk of corruption at the port of Rotterdam and at Schiphol Airport has increased in recent years, particularly due to reports of corruption cases at these main ports. While consciousness of this problem has resulted in increased investment in tackling corruption, it remains a highly complex problem that is difficult to map and requires a holistic approach to fully grasp. Given the recent focus on corruption in the ports of Rotterdam and Schiphol, and the concern that there is no overall picture of corruption risks and available policy tools to counter this threat, the House of Representatives requested the government to set up a new and independent scientific study into the possible vulnerabilities in the integrity policies of organisations involved in supervision, enforcement, detection and regulation/licensing (the so-called ‘THOR organisations’) in the two main ports. As a result, the Research and Data Centre (Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek- en Datacentrum or WODC), at the request of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, commissioned RAND Europe in 2022 to conduct a study on drug-related corruption threats at Schiphol Airport and the Port of Rotterdam.

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