EU Drug Agency Controls New Synthetic Drugs and Leads European Security Push

January 2026 has been a landmark month for the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). The Lisbon-based body took on a major pan-European leadership role. At the same time, EUDA oversaw the introduction of new legal controls on three synthetic substances that have been spreading fast across European markets.

Three New Synthetic Drugs Now Controlled Across the EU

New EU legislation entered into force on 12 January. It brought three new psychoactive substances (NPS) under formal legal control across all Member States. The EU drug agency confirmed the three substances as synthetic cathinones: 2-methylmethcathinone (2-MMC), 4-bromomethcathinone (4-BMC) and N-ethylnorpentedrone (NEP). These belong to a class of stimulant compounds chemically related to cathinone, the naturally occurring psychoactive found in the khat plant.

Suppliers market and sell these three substances as so-called ‘legal’ replacements for controlled stimulants including MDMA, amphetamine and cocaine. Most users take them recreationally through snorting or ingesting. However, reports from Member States also indicate injecting in higher-risk settings.

In May 2025, the EU drug agency and its Scientific Committee carried out formal risk assessments on each substance. They examined health and social harms, spread across European markets, links to international drug trafficking, and ties to organised crime. As a result, those findings fed into the European Commission’s Delegated Directive, which updated the existing NPS legal framework to allow a stronger and faster response to emerging substances.

Member States now have until 12 July 2026 to introduce corresponding national legislation. Therefore, this step marks the conclusion of the EU’s established three-stage process for responding to potentially harmful new drugs.

A Growing Threat: Synthetic Cathinones Surge Across Europe

Furthermore, the new controls arrive as the EU drug agency’s European Drug Report 2025 flagged a sharp rise in synthetic cathinone availability. Seizure figures tell a clear story. Authorities reported at least 37 tonnes in 2023, up from 27 tonnes in 2022 and just 4.5 tonnes in 2021. Preliminary 2024 data points to more than 48 tonnes. That represents a tenfold increase in just three years, making the growth trajectory one of the most significant the EU Early Warning System (EWS) has recorded.

Moreover, much of this volume arrives via bulk imports from India, primarily through the Netherlands. Domestic production is also a growing concern. In 2023 alone, authorities dismantled 53 synthetic cathinone production sites across the EU, up from 29 in 2022, mainly in Poland. Several of those sites operated on a large scale.

Indeed, synthetic cathinones now rank as the second largest category of NPS that the EU Early Warning System (EWS) monitors, behind only cannabinoids. Since the EWS launched in 1997, it has formally notified 181 synthetic cathinones out of more than 1,000 NPS in total.

EUDA Takes the Helm of EU Justice and Home Affairs Agencies’ Network

Alongside this enforcement milestone, the EU drug agency also took on a broader coordinating role. EUDA assumed the year-long presidency of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Agencies’ Network (JHAAN), which groups together nine bodies: CEPOL, EIGE, EUAA, EUDA, EU-LISA, Eurojust, Europol, FRA and Frontex.

EUDA chose the theme One Safety: building preparedness and resilient communities for its presidency. This signals an integrated, cross-sector approach to security. Consequently, it extends well beyond traditional law enforcement to encompass public health, cybersecurity, climate action and crisis response. These areas reflect the increasingly interconnected threats that EU citizens now face.

In addition, the 2026 programme includes thematic meetings built around four pillars: preparedness, protection and response, resilience, and the external dimension in security. Topics range from technology foresight and drug market-related violence to AI in security and cross-border health threats. The EU drug agency also plans high-level presentations to EU institutions, expert workshops, and a cross-organisational staff visit programme throughout the year.

Notably, the One Safety theme directly supports the 2025 to 2027 JHAAN priorities. Those priorities focus on digitalisation, innovation and AI, and feed into the broader European Internal Security Strategy known as ProtectEU.

What This Means Going Forward

Taken together, these two developments signal a more joined-up approach to tackling harmful substances and the criminal networks behind them. As synthetic cathinones continue to flood European markets at record volumes, the EU drug agency’s expanded role puts it at the centre of the EU’s security agenda. Early action clearly matters: between 2021 and 2024, seizure volumes grew more than tenfold. Waiting for substances to entrench before acting is no longer a viable strategy.

Equally, the broader JHAAN presidency gives EUDA a platform to connect drug-related threats to wider security challenges. That kind of cross-agency coordination will likely define how the EU responds to emerging risks in the years ahead.

Source: dbrecoveryresources