The EU drug strategy now targets organised crime networks as overdose deaths climb across Europe. New figures from the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) show that 29 million people use illicit substances every year. The market itself is worth an estimated 31 billion euro. As a result, member states have unanimously agreed a sweeping new framework to confront the problem.

The plan sets out measures to dismantle drug related organised crime networks. It also aims to choke off trafficking finances. In addition, it imposes blanket bans on chemicals used to manufacture synthetic drugs. The EU drug strategy further asks major ports to form closer alliances. This should help coordinate action against criminal groups that exploit commercial shipping routes.

On the public health side, the EU drug strategy proposes citywide monitoring systems. It also expands funding for treatment and recovery services. These services are aimed squarely at the groups most exposed to drug related harm. After all, prevention and early support remain central to limiting long term damage.

The plan responds to a deepening crisis. According to a new EUDA report, more than 83 million adults across Europe have used illicit substances. The bloc recorded over 7,600 overdose deaths last year alone. Officials describe a volatile market shaped by stronger, more diverse and frequently adulterated substances.

A shifting and increasingly potent market

Dr Lorraine Nolan, Executive Director of EUDA, said no single cause explains the surge. Instead, she pointed to rising organised crime and wider availability of substances. She also flagged Europe’s growing role as a production hub.

Cannabis remains the most widely used illicit drug. Around 15.4 million young adults aged between 15 and 34 reported use in the past year. Cocaine ranks second, used by roughly 2.5 million young adults. Meanwhile, monitoring now detects cocaine residues in 57 per cent of European cities. Synthetic substances, too, continue to gain ground under the wider EU drug strategy’s watch.

Sophisticated trafficking networks

Seaports across the bloc accounted for at least 1,826 tonnes of seized illicit drugs over five years. Criminal networks still favour major hubs such as Antwerp and Rotterdam. However, they are increasingly shifting smaller consignments through lesser known ports to dodge detection.

Annual cocaine seizures have reached 330 tonnes. These came from around 97,000 individual operations. As a result, criminal groups now split shipments into smaller loads. This limits losses if authorities intercept a single consignment.

Europe has also become a significant production base. Within a single year, authorities dismantled 42 cocaine extraction sites and 110 amphetamine laboratories. They also closed roughly 4,000 illicit cannabis cultivation sites. Overall, 1.6 million drug law offences were recorded across the EU in the same period. Tackling production, not just trafficking, now sits high on the EU drug strategy’s list of priorities.

Mounting pressure on health systems

EUDA recorded at least 7,600 drug induced deaths across the EU last year. Most involved multiple substances taken together. Opioids remain the substances most frequently linked to fatal overdoses, often combined with newer synthetic drugs.

EUDA has raised particular concern over synthetic opioids such as nitazenes and orphines. These carry an extremely narrow margin between a standard dose and a fatal one. Wastewater monitoring also points to rising cocaine consumption in numerous cities. Meanwhile, crack cocaine use is placing growing strain on emergency and treatment services. Notably, specialist programmes for ketamine related problems have quadrupled within five years. This has forced clinics to adapt quickly.

The World Federation Against Drugs (WFAG) said treatment providers must respond to an increasingly complex range of substances. Crucially, the federation stressed that supporting people into recovery, education and employment matters too. After all, it reduces long term costs for health, social and welfare systems alike. Much of this thinking now shapes the EU drug policy’s emphasis on recovery.

Five pillars guide the new EU drug strategy

The European Commission first proposed the updated EU drug policy in December 2025. It builds on the bloc’s 2021 to 2025 plan. The new version sharpens the focus on security and preparedness.

WFAG said the previous strategy delivered real progress in monitoring and enforcement. However, the federation argued that a constantly evolving market demands an approach capable of adapting alongside it.

The new strategy rests on five pillars. First, it strengthens preparedness through faster monitoring and better data collection. It also calls for closer cross border information sharing. WFAG welcomed this shift towards a more proactive stance. Notably, the federation said the EU drug strategy now links prevention, treatment and broader social concerns.

Second, the EU drug strategy centres on prevention and awareness. It also widens access to treatment, social support and reintegration programmes. As WFAG noted, the long term costs of failing to prevent drug use are real. Even so, a single statistic cannot always capture them.

Prevention, security and cooperation beyond the EU

Third, the EU drug strategy strengthens internal security. This includes closer cooperation between public and private bodies, particularly to detect drugs hidden within postal services. A dedicated strategy for EU ports follows on from this, alongside stronger action against production laboratories. Stricter controls will likewise apply to precursor chemicals. Industries legally use these chemicals in batteries and cosmetics, yet criminal networks divert them illegally into drug manufacturing.

Fourth, further measures aim to protect individuals from the most severe consequences of drug use, including overdose. They also aim to shield young people from being drawn into criminal networks. Finally, the fifth pillar focuses on international cooperation. It strengthens law enforcement partnerships with countries beyond the EU.

Alongside the EU drug strategy, a dedicated EU Action Plan on drug trafficking sets out 19 practical measures. These include new detection tools and closer cooperation between postal services and law enforcement. Tighter rules will also cover high speed boats used to transport illicit drugs.

National governments under pressure to adapt

Member states must now adapt their own structures across health, social care and law enforcement. Delivering the EU drug strategy depends on it. Nolan described a picture of steady improvement. She credited highly committed governments that work closely with EU agencies.

Specifically, the EU drug policy expects countries to upgrade data systems and accelerate preventive measures. They must also prepare for sudden escalations in drug related harm. On the health side, governments must expand prevention programmes and widen access to evidence based treatment. They must also strengthen national recovery services. On security, meanwhile, national authorities are being pushed to improve detection, investigation and prosecution capacity. This includes efforts to recover criminal assets and root out infiltration of legitimate businesses.

Priorities understandably vary across the bloc. Belgium and the Netherlands face the greatest pressure to strengthen port security, given their position as major trafficking hubs. By contrast, Germany, Italy and France record higher numbers of people injecting drugs. These countries must focus more heavily on prevention, treatment and social care.

EUDA, Frontex and Europol coordinate the response

Nolan said EUDA will support every pillar of the EU drug strategy. The agency does this by promoting evidence based responses and working with national focal points on monitoring. It also helps measure the outcomes of implementation.

She also pointed to the importance of cooperation between Frontex and Europol. Frontex protects the bloc’s external borders against trafficking. Europol, meanwhile, coordinates cross border investigations as the EU’s central intelligence hub.

“More than ever before, we are working in a time when that partnership is absolutely critical,” Nolan told Euronews. She added that both agencies remain focused on delivering the EU drug strategy’s wider objectives.

Source: dbrecoveryresources