Commission presents new EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan against drug trafficking to protect citizens and disrupt criminal networks

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the Commission is presenting a new EU Drugs Strategy and an Action Plan against drug trafficking, as well as updated rules for monitoring and controlling drug precursors. Announced by President von der Leyen in the political guidelines and a key deliverable under the European Internal Security Strategy, ProtectEU, they set out a comprehensive EU response to the security, health, social and environmental challenges linked to the trafficking and use of illicit drugs.

Drug trafficking constitutes a global criminal business and a major threat to Europeans’ wellbeing as well as Europe’s security as a whole. Illicit drugs such as cocaine and synthetic drugs continue to drive violence, corruption, and the exploitation of the legal economy. Drug traffickers have developed new methods with constantly shifting trafficking routes, operating across the globe and increasingly online. At the same time, drug abuse poses a serious threat to public health, as new substances further increase the risks of poisoning and overdoses. Children and young people are particularly affected. In addition, the production of drugs causes significant environmental damage, including through toxic waste. These evolving dynamics demand a stronger, coordinated response across the EU.

The EU Drugs Strategy takes a multi-dimensional and whole-of-society approach, focused on 5 key areas:

• Enhancing preparedness and response to drug related threats, with improved data collection, monitoring, early warning and rapid response measures at EU and national level. The EU Drugs Agency (EUDA) with its new, stronger mandate, will play a key role in supporting Member States by identifying new psychoactive substances, issuing rapid alerts, and assessing the risks posed by highly potent synthetic opioids.
• Protecting public health, by strengthening prevention, treatment and reintegration measures, including under the Healthier Together initiative. The EUDA will support Member States with practical guidance and awareness-raising activities.
• Strengthening security, with stricter rules against organised crime and an evaluation of the existing Framework Decision on drug trafficking by 2026. Key actions include strengthening public-private cooperation to improve the detection of drugs smuggled through postal and parcel delivery services into the EU, as well as a new EU Ports Strategy to enhance the security and resilience of our ports and supply chains against drug trafficking.   
• Measures to prevent drug-related harm focused on protecting young people from recruitment into organised crime (e.g. through a new EU toolbox and a new EU action plan on protecting children against crime), as well as reducing harm caused to society, local communities and the environment, including support from the EUDA on harm reduction intervention and crime prevention measures.
• Stronger partnerships with third countries to reinforce and expand international alliances, andincrease operational cooperation, technical assistance and capacity building. Global cooperation is essential to tackle trafficking networks that operate across borders and rapidly adapt their routes and methods. The Commission and Member States will also step up engagement with civil society and the private sector.

The EU Action Plan against drug trafficking complements the EU Drugs Strategy, with 19 key operational actions across six priority areas to:

• Adapt to evolving routes and methods used by criminal networks, also thanks toFrontex and Europol who will step up their support to help Member States detect drug trafficking at the external borders, including to address the misuse of go-fast vessels. The operations of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N) will also be expanded to disrupt maritime drug trafficking.
• Prevent crime and reduce drug-related violence, in particular amongst young people, e.g. with an EU-wide platform connecting experts across Europe to tackle online recruitment.
• Step up cooperation of law enforcement, judiciary and customs authorities, to allow forenhanced information sharing and joint analyses. Europol will help Member States detect and investigate drug trafficking online, by monitoring drug markets, analysing and flagging suspicious activities.
• Address the challenge of synthetic drugs and drug precursors:the EUDA will support Member States operationally with a new EU-wide substance database, so that Member States can better identify emerging substances, and with new guidelines and training for law enforcement on how to find and dismantle illicit synthetic drug production sites.
• Advance research and development and innovation, including with a new Security and Innovation Campus to be launched in 2026 with a focus on accelerating the transition from research to implementation.
• Strengthen international cooperation and further reinforce partnerships with key countries, including through joint investigations between the law enforcement authorities of Member States and partner countries, to strengthen port resilience against drug smugglers and disrupt drug trafficking routes.

Monitoring and controlling drugs precursors

The Commission is also proposing today new rules to make the monitoring and controlling of drug precursors and designer precursors clearer, simpler, and more digital. Drug precursors are often diverted and trafficked by criminals, to produce synthetic drugs and new psychoactive substances, posing a significant threat to public safety.

The proposal includes new measures such as real-time reporting of significant seizures of drug precursors, an urgency procedure for faster controlling of substances, as well as a ban on designer precursors, significantly curbing these precursors’ availability for illegal drug manufacturing. At the same time, the initiative will simplify and digitalise processes for legitimate trade, ensuring industries can thrive without excessive regulatory burdens.

Background

The EU Drugs Strategy sets out a way forward which safeguards citizens’ well-being, public health, and security, and which strengthens the EU’s preparedness and response to current and future drug-related challenges. The Action Plan complements the Strategy, with 19 priority actions focused on strengthening security, disrupting routes and business models of drug smugglers. At the same time, they will also support efforts to reduce drug-related harms and to reinforce international cooperation and partnerships. The updated rules for drug precursors aim to prevent that precursors are used for drug production while modernizing and simplifying controls for legitimate businesses.

The new Strategy and Action plan build on the previous EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan for 2021-2025, and their evaluation, as well as close cooperation with Member States and consultations with civil society (in particular the Civil Society Forum Drugs), and EU agencies. The measures proposed complement the objectives of the Preparedness Union Strategy, the European Health Union, and the EU health security framework.