Page contents Page contents The drug situation in the EU is complex and needs a balanced and multidisciplinary approach that integrates different policy areas and sectors of society. Security, health, and social measures, grounded on scientific evidence, must address various aspects like preparedness and scientific research, law enforcement, health prevention and treatment, environmental harms, political, social and economic factors, technology, and international cooperation. A people-centred and human rights-based approach is at the heart of EU drugs policy. EU coordination on drugs policy The EU is taking strategic and operational measures to reduce drug supply, demand and drug-related harms by working closely with all partners at national and international level, EU institutions, bodies and agencies, as well as civil society organisations. The role of the Commission’s Coordinator against drug trafficking is to strengthen internal coordination across Commission services, oversee the implementation of EU strategic documents on drug trafficking, foster close cooperation with Member States and EU agencies, and provide policy advice and guidance on the EU’s evolving priorities in this area. The European Union Drugs Agency and Europol (the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation) play a central role in the drugs field in the EU and internationally. Law enforcement action against drug trafficking is coordinated through EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats). Drugs-related health damage is addressed through prevention, treatment,care services and harm reduction. Through the EU Drugs Strategy, the EU coordinates evidence-based, balanced and integrated measures with EU countries and speaks with one voice internationally.On 4 December, the Commission presented a new EU Drugs Strategy and an Action Plan against drug trafficking, as well as a proposal for updated rules for monitoring and controlling drug precursors. Announced by President von der Leyen in the political guidelines and a key deliverable under the ProtectEU -European Internal Security Strategy, they set out a comprehensive EU response to the security, health, social and environmental challenges linked to the trafficking and use of illicit drugs. EU Drugs Strategy Reaffirming the EU’s evidence-based, balanced, multidisciplinary and integrated- approach, the Strategy aims to: strengthen Europe’s preparedness against serious threats to health and security,protect citizens well-being and public health, strengthen security responses,step up EU international cooperation and partnerships. The EU Drugs Strategy focuses on 5 key areas: Enhancing preparedness and response to drug related threatsThe EU will notably promote 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 healthThe focus is on 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 securityThe Commission will propose stricter rules against organised crime and evaluate 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 ports and supply chains against drug trafficking. Measures to prevent drug-related harmThe Commission will notably address drug-related violence affecting communities and develop a new EU toolbox to address the recruitment of minors by criminal networks and a new EU action plan on protecting children against crime. The EUDA will develop the European Harm Reduction Curriculum- a new training to support capacity-building on harm reduction interventions across the EU -, and with support of CEPOL, they will enhance training for law enforcement on the security, health and environmental risks involved in dismantling drug production facilities.Stronger partnerships Stronger partnerships with non-EU countries to reinforce and expand international alliances, and increase 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 Strategy builds on the former EU Drugs Strategy 2021-2025 and Action Plan as well as on close cooperation with the Member States. EU Action Plan against drug trafficking Drug trafficking constitutes a major threat to the wellbeing of Europeans and the security of Europe.Based on the results of the evaluation of the EU Drugs Strategy 2021-2025, the Commission presented a dedicated EU action plan against drug trafficking, to disrupt organised criminal networks behind drug trafficking, targeting their routes and criminal methods. 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 networksFrontex and Europol 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 violenceIn particular among young people, for example with an EU-wide platform connecting experts across Europe to tackle online recruitment.Step up cooperation of law enforcement, judiciary and customs authoritiesTo 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 precursorsThe 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 innovationNew Security and Innovation Campus will be launched in 2026 with a focus on accelerating the transition from research to implementation.Strengthen international cooperation Stronger 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. The Action Plan builds on the success of the EU Roadmap to fight drug trafficking and organised crime and outlines the key actions to be implemented at EU level from 2026 to 2030. Monitoring and controlling drugs precursors The Commission also proposed 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. Criminal law in the field of drugs Council Framework Decision on illicit drug trafficking sets the definitions of substances and of criminal acts in the field of drug trafficking, e.g. their production, sale, and cultivation. It requires Member States to apply effective, proportionate and dissuasive criminal penalties. Rules on new psychoactive substances and synthetic drugs Since 2005, there is a system to detect new substances on the market and a mechanism to assess their risks. Based on a risk assessment made by the EUDA, the Commission presented a proposal to ban harmful new psychoactive substances and make dealings with them criminal conduct as for other synthetic drugs and traditional drugs like cannabis, cocaine or heroine. Given the rapid rise of new psychoactive substances, the rules were updated in 2017 to: Ensure that the EU has effective tools to take swifter action to ban the most dangerous substances from the EU drugs markets. This is due to shorter deadlines and more streamlined procedures;Strengthen the role of the EUDA, which hosts the Early Warning System, working 7 days/week and 24 hours/day, to allow the sharing of information among EU countries. EU Agencies and initiatives working in the field of drugs Justice and Home Affairs EU agencies working in the field of drugs include: EUDA (the European Union Drugs Agency)Europol (the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation)Frontex (the European Border and Coast Guard Agency)Eurojust (the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation)CEPOL (the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training) The EUDA provides the EU and its countries with a factual overview and threat assessments on European level concerning drugs, drug addiction and their consequences. This provides a solid evidence base to support drugs policy-making on European and national level. Europol, Frontex, Eurojust and CEPOL support the EU and its countries in the area of freedom, security and justice, in which the issue of drugs is prioritised. The EU agencies also work with international organisations and other non-EU partners. The Commission also co-funds initiatives in the field of drugs such as the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N) which provides a forum for cooperation to suppress illicit drug trafficking by sea and air. Civil society involvement Civil society, in particular non-governmental organisations , is an important partner in the implementation of EU drugs policy. The Commission has set up an Expert Group - the Civil Society Forum on Drugs (CSFD), which supports policy formulation and implementation through advice. EU financial programmes for drug-related projects In the 2021-2027 programming period, the following funds address various drugs-related challenges:The Internal Security Fund 2021-2027EU4Health 2021-2027Horizon Europe International cooperation The international framework for regulating the production, export, import, distribution, trade, use and possession of illicit drugs is defined by three main international drug control conventions. Most UN countries are party to these conventions and have introduced drug control measures. The EU is active on the international stage in the field of drugs, promoting the approach and objectives of the EU Drugs Strategy. The EU's external relations in the field of drugs are based on the principles of shared responsibility, multilateralism, the promotion of a development-oriented approach, respect for human rights and human dignity, the rule of law and respect for the international drug control conventions. The EU addresses the issue of drugs internationally through: active role at UN level, notably in the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, to support the work on assessing and developing drug policies;regional dialogues on drugs with Latin America and the Caribbean, Central Asia, Eastern Partnership, and the Western Balkans;bilateral dedicated dialogues with countries such as the US, Colombia and China;drug-related cooperation projects in Latin America, the Caribbean and West Africa along the cocaine trafficking route, and in Afghanistan and Central Asia along the heroin route;technical assistance projects in the candidate countries and potential candidate countries, to help prepare for their possible accession to the EU.In terms of preventing the diversion of precursors that could be used in the manufacturing of drugs, cooperation between the EU and other regions or countries has a significant role. Documents EU Drugs Strategy EU Action Plan against drug trafficking European Drug Report 2025European Drug Markets ReportEU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU-SOCTA)
The EU is taking strategic and operational measures to reduce drug supply, demand and drug-related harms by working closely with all partners at national and international level, EU institutions, bodies and agencies, as well as civil society organisations. The role of the Commission’s Coordinator against drug trafficking is to strengthen internal coordination across Commission services, oversee the implementation of EU strategic documents on drug trafficking, foster close cooperation with Member States and EU agencies, and provide policy advice and guidance on the EU’s evolving priorities in this area. The European Union Drugs Agency and Europol (the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation) play a central role in the drugs field in the EU and internationally. Law enforcement action against drug trafficking is coordinated through EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats). Drugs-related health damage is addressed through prevention, treatment,care services and harm reduction. Through the EU Drugs Strategy, the EU coordinates evidence-based, balanced and integrated measures with EU countries and speaks with one voice internationally.On 4 December, the Commission presented a new EU Drugs Strategy and an Action Plan against drug trafficking, as well as a proposal for updated rules for monitoring and controlling drug precursors. Announced by President von der Leyen in the political guidelines and a key deliverable under the ProtectEU -European Internal Security Strategy, they set out a comprehensive EU response to the security, health, social and environmental challenges linked to the trafficking and use of illicit drugs.
