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The report shows that drugs have an increasingly negative impact on European health and security as they are more available, diverse and potent. The report is based on data from 29 countries (27 EU Member States, Türkiye and Norway) and covers drug use and supply as well as drug-related harms.

On 4 June, Justice and Home Affairs Ministers from EU Member States and Schengen Associated Countries met at the JHA Council in Luxembourg. Among other topics, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner presented the main findings of the 5th Report on the state of Schengen.

The meeting focused on preparedness and crisis response mechanisms for trafficking in human beings as well as the development and implementation of national action plans to support the fight against trafficking.

The European Union Agency for Asylum has published its latest analysis of asylum applications. It shows that in March 2026, EU+ countries received around 59,000 applications for international protection, broadly stable compared to February and below the levels recorded throughout most of 2025.

The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on 1 June 2026 on the Regulation establishing a new Common European System for Returns, providing Member States with the necessary tools to make returns more efficient.

According to figures released by the Commission, EU and Schengen-associated countries received nearly 12 million applications for short-stay visas in 2025, marking a 1.8% increase from 2024. However, demand remains well below the 17 million applications recorded in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 5-6 May, participants from law enforcement entities, customs, forensics, academia, civil society, Horizon Europe projects, EU agencies and institutions came together in Brussels for a CERIS workshop on illicit drugs. The event was organised by the Commission and the European Union Drugs Agency.

On 26 May, the EU signed the Protocol amending the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism, marking a historic step towards a common pan-European definition of terrorist offences, which is now fully aligned with the definition set out in the Directive on combating terrorism.

The European Commission has published a call for proposals to co-fund projects aiming to fight organised crime and drug trafficking, as well as trafficking in human beings. With EUR 16.55 million, it will support law enforcement but also public bodies working to dismantle criminal networks.