On 11 June 2024, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) published the annual European Drug Report 2024 that provides an overview and assessment of the drug situation in Europe up to the end of 2023.
The report is based on the latest data from 29 countries (EU Member States, Türkiye and Norway) and covers drug use and supply as well as drug-related harms and responses to them. It also explores long-term trends and emerging threats. The report is complemented with around 100 interactive graphics and dashboards that allow users to visualise data at European and national level.
Key trends and findings
The report shows that illicit drugs have a significant impact on European health and security as they are more available, diverse, and potent. Polysubstance use - the use of two or more psychoactive substances at the same time or in sequence - is increasing together with associated health risks and public health challenges. These challenges are further complicated when drug mixtures are consumed unknowingly. Only in 2022, almost 400 previously detected new psychoactive substances were detected in seizures.
The report also highlights the risks of an evolving drug market that could be affected by opioid use along with the measures taken across the EU to prevent an increase of both regular and new synthetic opioids. Cocaine is the second most common drug used in the EU. For the sixth year in a row, record quantities of cocaine were seized in the EU in 2023. Drug-related organised crime is increasingly infiltrating EU supply chains, often with intimidation and corruption. Almost 70 % of the drugs seizures by EU customs authorities happen in the European Union’s ports.
Next steps
The report sets priorities for actions to address challenges mentioned above, including improvement of drug surveillance; preparedness for possible market shifts; prevention and adequate treatment of drug abuse. It also emphasizes the need for stronger coordination at the international level, and support to EU Member States to disrupt cross-border drug trafficking. This is already being implemented through the European Ports Alliance that the Commission launched in January 2024.
On 2 July 2024, the EMCDDA will become the new European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). According to the report: “One of the challenges facing drug surveillance in 2024 is to gain a deeper understanding of which drugs are actually being consumed and in what combinations.” The priorities of the new Agency will include enhanced monitoring of patterns of polysubstance use and the understanding of what constitutes effective prevention, treatment and harm reduction interventions. The agency will also strengthen its analytical capacity, through an EU network of forensic and toxicological laboratories.
Find out more:
Information page on the EMCDDA's new mandate (EUDA) | www.emcdda.europa.eu
Details
- Publication date
- 11 June 2024
- Author
- Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs