REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on progress in the EU's 2013-2020 Drugs Strategy and 2013-2016 Action Plan on Drugs
Date: 2015-11-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU police cooperation, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, action programme, drug addiction, drug traffic, fight against crime, international cooperation, psychotropic substance

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 27.11.2015  COM(2015) 584 final   REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on progress in the EU's 2013-2020 Drugs Strategy and 2013-2016 Action Plan on Drugs {SWD(2015) 257 final}  
 
 
1.  Introduction and Context 

Illicit  drugs  are  a  complex  social  problem,  which  affects  the  lives  of  millions  of  people.  While 
consumption  of  drugs  such  as  heroin  or  cocaine  has  gone  down  in  the  past  few  years,  new 
psychoactive substances are increasingly accessible on the open market and/or online, posing serious 
health threats.  
The human and social costs of drugs addiction are very high. They generate costs for public health 
(on drug prevention and treatment, healthcare and hospital treatment), public safety, the environment 
and labour productivity. 

At  least  78.9  million  Europeans  reported  having  used  cannabis  at  least  once  in  their  lifetime,  while 
cocaine and amphetamines have been tried by 15.6 and 12 million people respectively. In addition, 1.3 
million adults are problem opioid users and 3.4% of all deaths of Europeans aged between15 and 39 
are from drug overdoses. According to latest estimates, 1.700 individuals died in the EU of HIV/AIDS 
attributable to drug use in 20101. In 2013, 1 446 cases of HIV attributable to injecting drug use were 
newly reported in the EU2. In 2014, 101 new psychoactive substances were detected, 22% more than 
in 2013.  

The  European  Agenda  on  Security3  acknowledges  Europol's  assessment  that  the  market  for  illicit 
drugs  is  the  most  dynamic  criminal  market.  Drug  trafficking  and  drug  production  remain  among 
the most profitable criminal activities for organised crime groups active in the EU. The value of the 
European  opiates  market  has  been  estimated  at  approximately  EUR  12  billion4,  while  the  estimated 
use of cannabis, the most popular drug in the EU, amounts to 2 000 tonnes. Cocaine is the second most 
widely used drug in the EU: in 2013 EU Member States seized more than 61 tonnes of it5. In addition, 
the internet has emerged in the last couple of years as an online marketplace for drugs6. 

In  2013  the  European  Monitoring  Centre  for  Drugs  and  Drug  Addiction  (EMCDDA)  improved  its 
reporting on the situation on drugs in Europe. Also, in 2013 the EMCDDA and Europol issued the first 
EU drug markets report at the European Commission's request. The two  EU agencies will publish a 
second edition in early 2016.  

Drugs are a global problem. It is estimated that a total of 264 million people between the ages of 15 
and  64  used  an  illicit  drug  in  2013.  Some  27  million  people  suffer  from  drug  use  disorders  or  drug 
dependence. Almost half (12.19 million) of these inject drugs, and an estimated 1.65 million of those 
who inject drugs were living with HIV in 20137. 

In  April  2016  the  United  Nation's  General  Assembly  will  hold  a  Special  Session  (UNGASS)  on 
drugs  that  will  look  at  how  to  improve  global  drugs  policies  while  strengthening  public  health  and 
human  rights  aspects  as  part  of  the  UN  Conventions  on  drugs8.  This  will  be  a  turning  point  for  the 

1 EMCDDA European Drug Report 2015 
2 EMCDDA reporting 
3 COM (2015) 185 
4 General Report on Europol's activities in 2014 
5 Interim SOCTA 2015: An Update on Serious and Organised Crime in the EU, Europol, March 2015 
6 EMCDDA and Europol joint report: EU Drugs Market Report: a strategic analysis, 2013 
7 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), World Drug report 2015 
8 The 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs; the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 Convention against  Illicit 
Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances 

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international community in determining the future of drugs policy. The EU's voice will count in this 
context. 

The EU's 2013-2020 Drugs Strategy9 and the 2013-2016 Action Plan on Drugs  10 set out the EU's 
political framework and priorities on drugs policy. The strategy provides a single and evidence-based 
framework for tackling drugs inside and outside the EU. It aims to contribute to reducing both demand 
and supply for drugs within the EU, and to reducing the health and social risks and harm caused by 
drugs. The Strategy has three cross-cutting themes: (a) coordination, (b) international cooperation and 
(c) research, information, monitoring and evaluation.  

This Report presents the main progress the EU achieved in 2013 and 2014 in implementing its 2013-
2020 Strategy and  2013-2016 Action Plan  on Drugs. Detailed findings are presented  in the annexed 
Commission staff working document.  

2.  Method 

The  EU  Action  Plan  on  Drugs  identifies  who  is  responsible  for  implementing  its  actions  and  sets 
deadlines for each of them. This review, which covers 2013 and 2014, is based on contributions from 
the EMCDDA, Europol, Eurojust (the European Union's Judicial Cooperation Unit) and CEPOL (the 
European  Police  College).  Contributions  were  also  received  from  the  European  External  Action 
Service and the Council Presidency.11 The Commission also conducted a survey among EU countries12 
and civil society organisations with an interest in drugs policy13. This report focuses on the outputs of 
EU's Drugs Strategy and Action Plan. 

3.  Reducing drug demand  

Prevention  

According  to  a  2014  Eurobarometer  survey  on  youth  and  drugs14,  drug  experimentation  often  starts 
during  school  years:  it  is  estimated  that  one  in  four  15  and  16  year-olds  have  used  an  illicit  drug15. 
Awareness  raising  and  counselling  remain  the  most  common  prevention  activities  used  to  reach 
young  people  thought  to  be  at  risk  for  substance  abuse,  such  as  school  students  with  academic  and 
social problems16. In 2013, less than half of all EU countries reported to the EMCDDA that they had 
fully implemented school drug policies. However, general information campaigns in schools about 
substance abuse are reported to be widely available in the EU17. Most EU countries reported having 
had specific programmes and/or measures aimed at delaying the first use of illicit drugs in the period 
2013-2014.  

9 OJ C 402, 29.12.2012, p. 1  
10 OJ C 351, 30.11.2013, p. 1 
11 Including on the results of a survey conducted in April 2015 by the Council Presidency among Member States on the issue of misuse of 
and dependence on medicines. Although the survey is not part of the 2013-2014 timeframe, its results are used in this report because they 
show the state of play in the Member States in relation to actions 4 and 50 of the EU Action Plan on Drugs. This state of play is relevant also 
for the period 2013-2014. 
12 All Member States responded to the survey 
13  Organisations  from  France,  Greece,  Hungary,  Italy,  Lithuania,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  Portugal,  Spain,  Slovenia  and  Sweden 
responded  to  the  questionnaire.  Some  of  these  organisations  are  network/umbrella  organisations  that  represent  several  other  organisations 
from the same country or from others, active in this field. 
14 2014 Flash Eurobarometer 401 "Young people and drugs" 
15 http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/data/2014 
16 EMCDDA reporting  
17 Substance abuse includes alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Information provided by the EMCDDA 

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The Mondorf Group, a collaborative group including Luxembourg and its border regions from France, 
Germany  and  Belgium,  organized  prevention  activities  by  combining  a  non-drug-centred  approach 
with  intercultural  components  and has  been  organising  leisure  activities  for youngsters  based  on the 
concept of ‘adventure pedagogy’. The activities primarily aim to provide the opportunity to youngsters 
to experience group dynamics, conflict management, limit and risk assessment as well as the feeling of 
solidarity within a group of socially and culturally different people.  

Most EU countries, including civil society, reported having run awareness initiatives on the risks and 
consequences of using illicit drugs and other new psychoactive substances.  

All EU countries reported having implemented prevention measures. Many EU Member States run 
universal prevention programmes and a few of them report on implementing selective18 and indicated19 
prevention programmes. Half of the EU Member States reported implementing anti-drugs campaigns 
in recreational settings such as music festivals, parties, night-life and club venues. A majority of EU 
countries stated that the availability of prevention measures has improved or remained stable in 2013 
and 2014. Some civil society representatives however, pointed to a fall in public spending in this area 
due to budgetary constraints.  

Misuse of and dependence from prescribed medicines 

The  misuse  of  and  dependence  on  prescribed  medicines  in  the  EU  deserves  further  work  and 
analysis.  Benzodiazepines20  are  often  misused  by  high-risk  opioid  users  and  are  associated  with 
morbidity  and  mortality  in  this  group.21  It  is  thought  that  opioid  analgesics  and  anaesthetics22, 
medicines  primarily  prescribed  for  their  psychoactive  effects  and  as  a  substitute  medication  to  treat 
addiction, are likely to be misused. However, only very limited data is available in the EU countries to 
obtain  a  complete  estimate  of  misuse,  happening  in  various  contexts,  in  the  whole  of  the  EU. 
Therefore, the scale of the problem and the response within the EU need to be further refined in order 
to decide on the actions to take in the future. 

Treatment 

In  2013  and  2014  integrated  treatment  services23  with  good  coverage  were  available  in  all  EU 
Member  States.  Half  of  the  EU  countries  considered  that  there  was  no  major  change  in  the 
availability of treatment services in 2013-2014 in their country; most of the  rest of the EU countries 
considered that this availability increased. On the other hand, some civil society representatives claim 
that the availability of treatment services fell due to budget cuts.  

In  2013-2014  a  wide  range  of  comprehensive  and  integrated  treatment  services  existed  in  EU 
countries. Half of the EU Member States reported that these treatments did not diversify in 2013 and 
2014 compared with previous years. 

18 "Selective prevention" strategies target subsets of the total population that are deemed to be at risk of substance abuse by  virtue of their 
membership of a particular population segment, for example  young offenders, school drop-outs, or students who are  failing academically. 
Risk  groups  may  be  identified  on  the  basis  of  social,  demographic  or  environmental  risk  factors  known  to  be  associated  with  substance 
abuse, and targeted subgroups may be defined by age, gender, family history or place of residence such as deprived neighbourhoods or those 
with high drug-use or trafficking. 
19  "Indicated  prevention"  addresses  vulnerable  individuals  and  helps  them  in  dealing  and  coping  with  the  individual  personality  traits  that 
make them more vulnerable to escalating drug use. 
20 Benzodiazepines are a group of widely prescribed medicines with a range of clinical uses, including treatment of anxiety and insomnia and 
the management of alcohol withdrawal. Examples of such medicines are: diazepam, clonazepam, alprazolam and oxazepam 
21 The misuse of benzodiazepines among high-risk opioid users in Europe. Report by EMCDDA, 2015 
22 Prescribed and over-the-counter, if applicable 
23 As per action 5 of the EU Action Plan on Drugs. More details are also available in the accompanying Commission staff working document 

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Drug treatment in England is very accessible. The latest treatment data (for 2013-14) shows that 98% 
of people referred to treatment started it in less than three weeks. Waiting times are low – around three 
days  to  enter  treatment.  Improvements  to  the  treatment  system  over  a  decade,  has  resulted  in  the 
waiting time falling from two months in 2001 to just three days in 2013-14. 

Most  drug  treatment  in  Europe  is  provided  in  outpatient  settings24.  One  tenth  of  drug  treatment  is 
provided to patients admitted to hospital or specialised centres.25.  

Rehabilitation/recovery  services  evolved  in  2013  and  2014  but  almost  half  of  the  EU  countries 
reported  no  expansion  in  such  services.  Likewise,  many  civil  society  representatives  reported  that 
there was no expansion in rehabilitation/recovery services in their countries in 2013 and 2014. 

Risk and harm reduction 

By 2013  all EU  countries  had  adopted  public  health  policy objectives  to  prevent  and  reduce  health-
related  harm  associated  with  drug  dependence26.  Most  EU  countries  reported  having  taken  specific 
action  in  2013  and  2014  to  ensure  availability  of  and  access  to  evidence-based  risk  and  harm 
reduction measures.  

Showcase 

In  Cyprus,  a  low-threshold  programme27  established  in  2013  implemented  the  first  ‘’snowball’’ 
programme on a pilot basis in 2014. Former or current Injection Drugs Users (IDUs) were recruited 
and took part in a training which included information on HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, First aid 
techniques,  Safer  Sex  and  Safer  Drug  Use.  After  the  training  each  participant  recruited  three  other 
IDUs and shared knowledge obtained during the training as well as collected  data on high risk drug 
use behaviour using a questionnaire. 

All  EU  countries  have  in  place  opioid  substitution  treatment  (OST)  and  needle  and  syringe 
programmes  as  core  measures  to  prevent  and  control  infections  among  people  who  inject  drugs  and 
the  coverage  of  the  two  programmes  increased  considerably.  However,  in  2013,  needle  and  syringe 
programmes were far from full coverage in all countries and especially in prisons28. Several countries 
also  reported  reductions  in  harm  reduction  services  in  recent  years,  and  some  countries  have  only 
limited provisions of these services.29 

Showcase 

In the Czech Republic, accessibility of substitution treatment is limited. Methadone is free of charge 
for patients, but available just in approximately 10 specialised centres. The majority of OST patients 
are on buprenorphine, which, however, in practice is not covered by health insurance and majority of 

24 An outpatient is a patient who is not hospitalized for 24 hours or more but who visits a hospital, clinic, or associated facility for diagnosis 
or treatment. Data reported by the EMCDDA 
25  This  is  the  case  because  in  many  countries  specialised  centres  can  prescribe  opioid  substitution  treatment.  Information  reported  by  the 
EMCDDA 
26  According  to  the  Report  on  the  current  state  of  play  of  the  2003  Council  Recommendation  on  the  prevention  and  reduction  of  health-
related harm, associated with drug dependence, in the EU and candidate countries, Gesundheit Oesterreich & Sogeti, 2013 
27 Low-threshold" programmes are programmes that make minimal demands on the patient, offering services without attempting to control 
their intake of drugs, and providing counselling only if requested 
28 Ibid footnote 26 
29 EMCDDA reporting 

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patients  have  to  pay  very  high  price  for  their  medication  (approximately  half  of  average  monthly 
salary per month). This drives the black market in buprenorphine. 

A  few  countries  provide  supervised  drug  consumption  facilities30  and  some  EU  countries  also 
provide take-home naloxone programmes31.  

Although  progress  has  been  made  in  recent  years,  drug  use  resulting  in  overdoses  or  drug-related 
diseases,  accidents,  violence  and  suicide  remains  one  of  the  major  causes  of  avoidable  mortality  in 
young  people  in  the  EU.  The  EU  estimated  number  of  deaths  from  drug  overdoses  only  was  a 
minimum of 5.800 in 201332. Since 2003 most countries have been unable to reduce the number of 
deaths from overdoses. However, it is worth noting that overall, the coverage and availability of harm 
reduction  measures  in  the  EU  appears  to  be  associated  with  declines  in  levels  of  reported  drug 
overdose. HIV infections among injecting drug users decreased in 2013. However, infection rates for 
hepatitis C were still high in many countries33.  

Drug use in prisons  

Substance use is higher among prisoners than among the general population. In 2013 and 2014, most 
EU countries had healthcare policies in place for drug users during imprisonment. More than half of 
these countries also plan to increase existing measures by the end of 2016 and a majority of those who 
do not currently implement such measures, plan to start doing so by the same date.  

In 2013 and 2014, prison and community-based services provided continuity of care for drug users in 
more than half of the EU Member States with particular emphasis on avoiding drug overdoses34. 

In 2013, opioid substitution treatment was reported to be available in prisons in a large majority of EU 
countries35. However, in some countries treatment in prison was limited to persons that already had a 
prescription before they were incarcerated.  

Only  some  countries  had  specific  funding  in  place  for  drug  demand  reduction  activities  in  2013 
and  2014.  Often  the  budget  for  such  activities  is  incorporated  into  related  areas  such  as  healthcare, 
education and welfare.  

4.  Reducing drug supply  

Europol  reports  that  drug  trafficking  was  the  major  crime  area  in  2013  and  2014  in  terms  of  cases 
initiated  and  information  flow.  An  estimated  230  000  drug  supply  offences  were  reported  in  2013, 
57% of which related to cannabis36. More than 1 600 new drug-related cases were launched in 2014 in 
the EU targeting organised crime groups trafficking cocaine, heroin, synthetic drugs and cannabis37.  

In 2014, 101 new psychoactive substances were reported for the first time in the EU, compared with 
41 in 2010. More than 450 are currently being monitored by the EMCDDA. In 2013, 33 000 seizures 

30  Questionnaire  responses  supplemented  with  data  from  the  EMCDDA  report  "Perspectives  on  drugs.  Drug  consumption  rooms:  an 
overview of provision and evidence", 2015 
31 Naloxone is a drug used to counter the effects of opioids especially in overdoses. EMCDDA reports that some naloxone programmes are 
small and time limited. In one country naloxone distribution programmes are provided for high-risk users in the community and to inmates 
upon release from prison. 
32 EMCDDA reporting 
33 EMCDDA Drugs report 2015 
34 Although in some countries this is true only in some prisons 
35According to the EMCDDA  
36 EMCDDA reporting 
37 Europol reporting 

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of  new  psychoactive  substances  were  made,  amounting  to  more  than  2.3  tonnes.  The  production  of 
such  substances,  including  tableting,  packaging  and  labelling,  is  increasingly  taking  place  inside  the 
EU38,  but  they  are  also  brought  into  Europe  from  non-EU  countries.  EU  Member  States  report  that 
China was the main source of new psychoactive substances delivered to Europe in 2014.   

In 2013 and 2014, the EMCDDA issued 182 formal notifications on new psychoactive substances and 
32 public health alerts and advisories to the Early Warning System Network. Many of these concerned 
serious adverse events, particularly deaths, and/or hazards that had the potential to cause serious harm. 
In  this  period,  the  EMCDDA  and  Europol  conducted  seven  risk  assessments  on  new  psychoactive 
substances posing health concerns. On this basis39 the Commission submitted proposals to the Council 
to make two substances subject to EU-wide controls in 2013, with a further six following in 201440. 
All the Commission's proposals were adopted by the Council, following a positive opinion given by 
the European Parliament.41 

Given the magnitude of the  threat from new psychoactive substances, the Council and the European 
Parliament  needed  to  decide  on  a  new,  faster  and  more  effective  system  to  tackle  the  threats.  In 
September  2013  the  Commission  adopted  a  legislative  package42  to  meet  these  objectives.  Since 
then the package has been subject to discussions by the co-legislators. 

In 2013 and 2014 the EMCDDA worked with EU countries to obtain  accurate, reliable,  comparable 
and high-quality data across the EU on drugs supply. This will allow assessing the situation and the 
effectiveness of policies targeting supply reduction. Data will be collected on a pilot basis in 2015.  

The number of cases of drug trafficking referred to Eurojust increased only slightly in 2014 compared 
with the previous year. A project run by Eurojust on drug trafficking in 2014 found that differences in 
substantive and procedural rules in the EU countries were a major obstacle in investigations of drug 
trafficking and in identifying, tracing and recovering of assets stemming from cross-border organised 
criminal activities. The project also found that freezing and confiscation orders were very little used in 
drug trafficking cases43. In 2013 and 2014 a majority of EU countries put in place initiatives to counter 
cross-border trafficking and improve security with other Member States. 

In  2013  and  2014  CEPOL  organised  training  on  drugs  and  drug-related  issues  for  close  to  1  300 
participants from EU countries, associated countries, candidate countries and EU agencies. Just over 
half of the EU countries reported good cooperation on drug-related issues between law enforcement 

38 Ibid. footnote 4 
39 An eighth risk assessment (on 4-methylamphetamine) was conducted by EMCDDA and Europol in 2012 
40. Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1876 of 8 October 2015 on subjecting 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole to control measures; Council 
Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1874 of 8 October 2015 on subjecting 4-methylamphetamine to control measures; Council Implementing 
Decision (EU) 2015/1875 of 8 October 2015 on subjecting 4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxy-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)phenethylamine (25I-NBOMe), 3,4- 
2-(3-
(AH-7921), 
dichloro-N-[[1-(dimethylamino)cyclohexyl]methyl]benzamide 
methoxyphenyl)-2-(ethylamino)cyclohexanone (methoxetamine) to control measures; Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1873 of 8 
October  2015  on 
and  1-cyclohexyl-4-(1,2-
diphenylethyl)piperazine (MT-45) to control measures 
41

subjecting  4-methyl-5-(4-methylphenyl)-4,5-dihydrooxazol-2-amine 

The  European  Court  of  Justice's  Judgment  of  16.04.2015  in  cases  C-317/13  and  C-679/13  required  that  the  European  Parliament  is 
consulted  before  the  adoption  of  the  Council  Decisions  to  ban  new  psychoactive  substances.  Therefore,  all  Council  Decisions  adopted  or 
pending adoption before the ECJ's judgment had to be adopted again by the Council, following the consultation of the European Parliament. 
This happened in October 2015. 
42 The package comprises: the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on new psychoactive substances and 
the  Proposal  for a  Directive  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  amending  Council  Framework  Decision  2004/757/JHA  of  25 
October  2004  laying  down  minimum  provisions  on  the  constituent  elements  of  criminal  acts  and  penalties  in  the  field  of  illicit  drug 
trafficking, as regards the definition of drug 
43  Based  on  Council  Framework  Decision  2006/783/JHA  of  6  October  2006  on  the  application  of  the  principle  of  mutual  recognition  to 
confiscation orders (OJ L 328, 24.11.2006, p. 59) and Council Framework Decision 2003/577/JHA of 22 July 2003 on the execution in the 
European Union of orders freezing property or evidence (OJ L 196 , 02/08/2003 p. 45) 

3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone 

(4,4′-DMAR) 

(MDPV) 

and 

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units  and  relevant  bodies44,  although  not  all  of  them  have  memoranda  of  understanding  in  force  to 
formalise cooperation. 

In  2013  there  were  a  total  of  846  cases  of  seizures  and  stopped  shipments  of  drug  precursors 
intended for illicit use; in 2014 there were 628 cases45. 

Several  EU  countries  pool  their  enforcement  capabilities  in  the  Maritime  Analysis  and  Operations 
Centre (Narcotics) (MAOC-N) in order to intercept drug shipments in the Atlantic Ocean in particular. 
Since its establishment, the Centre has coordinated the interdiction of over 120 vessels and seizure of 
over 100 tonnes of cocaine and 300 tonnes of cannabis with a retail commercial value in the EU of 
EUR 8 billion. The Centre's activities are also supported by EU funding. 

In  2013  and  2014  the  legal  system  in  most  EU  countries  provided  for  alternatives  to  coercive 
sanctions  for  drug-using  offenders.  Almost  all  those  EU  countries  provided  for  treatment  and 
rehabilitation, while half provided for education, aftercare and social integration.  

Showcase 

In  Portugal,  a  law,  in  place  since  July  2001,  decriminalized  illicit  drug  use  and  related  acts,  but 
maintains drug use as an illicit behaviour. It is a crime to possess drugs in a quantity greater than the 
average  for  the  individual  consumption  during  a  period  of  10  days.  However,  a  person  caught  in 
possession of an inferior quantity, without any suspicion of being involved in drug trafficking, will be 
evaluated by a local Commission for Dissuasion of Drug Addiction, composed of a lawyer, a doctor 
and  a  social  worker.  Administrative  sanctions  can  be  applied,  but  the  main  objective  is  to  facilitate 
access to treatment and the return to life in health and in society. These Commissions act as a “second 
line”  of  preventive  interventions,  evaluating  the  personal  circumstances  of  drug  users  referred  by 
police and directing them to the appropriate responses. 

Another challenge is the emergence of the internet as an online marketplace for drugs. More than half 
of the EU countries specifically targeted drug-related crime over the internet, with a number of 
them targeting websites used to sell synthetic drugs. Eurojust and Europol also reported carrying out 
several actions targeting drug-related crimes over the internet.  

Showcase  

In Germany the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) detected an increase of narcotic-selling of all 
kinds  via  the  Internet.  The  main  focus  lies  within  synthetic  drugs.  In  addition  the  trade  with  drugs 
shifts  increasingly  from  the  Clear  web  in  the  so-called  Darknet.  Therefore  anonymization  and 
encoding  occur,  which  makes  the  identification  of  administrators,  vendors  and  customers  very 
difficult. Furthermore the usage of virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin, offers even more anonymity for 
the users. On account of this very increasing phenomenon BKA has installed a working group “drug 
trafficking via the internet” since November 15th, 2014. The working group currently consists of 2.5 
staff members.  

Only  some  countries  had  specific  funding  in  place  in  2013  and  2014  for  drug  supply  reduction 
activities. Usually the budget for such activities is incorporated into related areas such as the general 
criminal police budget. 

44 Such as airlines, air express couriers, shipping companies, harbour authorities, and chemical companies 
45 EU database on drug precursors 

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5.  Coordination 

Responding  effectively  to  the  cross-sector  nature  of  the  drugs  problem  requires  coordination 
between the different policy areas at EU and national level in the EU Member States.  

The Council has a specific working party to deal with drugs issues across the board. Within this group, 
Council  presidencies  have  been  pursuing  an  agenda  that  follows  closely  the  EU  Drugs  Action  Plan. 
However, a few EU countries felt that not all actions were being addressed on a systematic basis. The 
Council's rotating presidencies have also made efforts to establish closer links and information sharing 
with the other working parties dealing with law enforcement.  

Almost all EU Member States say that they coordinate their positions in the EU Council Working 
Parties on drug-related issues with all relevant parties at national level.  

In 2013, apart from one country which has a regional-based approach, all EU countries had national 
drugs strategies in place. While a majority of the strategies were specifically focused on illicit drugs, 
in  some  EU  countries  drugs  are  included  in  broader  addiction  policies  that  include  tobacco,  alcohol 
and  sometimes,  other  addictive  behaviours.  In  recent  years,  an  increasing  number  of  countries  have 
performed  a  final  evaluation  of  their  drug  strategy  or  action  plan46.  All  EU  Member  States  reported 
that civil society organisations47 were involved in the development, monitoring and/or evaluation of 
their national drugs policy in 2013-2014.  

Showcase 

In Slovakia, NGOs have their representative (governmental deputy) in the main coordination body that 
is  the  Council  of  the  Slovak  Republic  Government  for  Drug  Policy)  that  is  entitled  to  invite 
representatives  to  the  Council  meetings  and  particular  agenda  items  discussion.  In  addition,  during 
preparation of new strategic documents (strategy, action plans), representatives of NGOs are requested 
to submit their ideas, either via the governmental deputy, or directly. They have also legal competence 
to provide their remarks and suggestions within the documents' approval procedure. Their remarks and 
suggestions  have  to  be  discussed  and  the  most  reasonable  have  to  be  taken  into  account;  any 
discrepancy should be avoided, otherwise the approval procedure can be stopped.  

A  majority  of  the  civil  society  representatives  confirmed  having  been  involved  in  the  development, 
monitoring and or evaluation of their country's drug policy in 2013-2014, although some also said that 
there  was  no  structured  dialogue  in  place  for  this.  While  many  of  the  civil  society  representatives 
considered  that  the  kind  of  cooperation  they  had  at  national  level  was  useful,  a  few  mentioned  that 
there was no role for civil society in shaping drugs policies in their countries. At EU level structured 
dialogue exists between the Commission and civil society through the Civil Society Forum on Drugs, 
which provides advice to support policy formulation and implementation. 

Civil society representatives considered that insufficient resources were allocated at national level to 
fulfil  the  priorities  of  the  EU  Drugs  Strategy  in  2013  and  2014.  Many  NGOs  also  reported  budget 
reductions.  

46 EMCDDA reporting 
47  Namely  professional  drug  service  providers;  non-governmental  organisations  active  in  the  field  of  drugs  policy;  non-governmental 
organisations  representing  the  interests  of  individual  stakeholders  in  the  field  of  drugs  (drug  users/family  members  etc.);  the  scientific 
community 

9 

 
 
 
                                                            
 
Evidence of drug-related public expenditure at national level remains sparse. For the 19 countries 
that have produced estimates in the past 10 years, expenditure is estimated at between 0.01% and 0.5% 
of GDP, with healthcare representing between 24% and 73% of all drug-related expenditure48.  

6.  International cooperation 

At  international  level,  an important  goal  enshrined in  the  EU  Drugs  Strategy is  for  the  EU  to  speak 
with one voice in the international arena and with partner countries. In 2013 and 2014 the EU largely 
managed to present a coordinated position in international meetings. Although steps have been taken 
to  achieve  greater  EU  synchronisation  in  United  Nations  (UN)  institutions,  better  coordination 
between delegations to the UN in Vienna and the Council's Horizontal Group on Drugs in Brussels is 
needed.  

EU positions were prepared for meetings at the UN or in other international fora dealing with drug-
related matters. A common EU position is being prepared for UNGASS 2016.  

The EU has a longstanding cooperation with non-EU countries such as the US, countries in Latin 
America,  the  Caribbean,  central  Asia  and  the  Western  Balkans,  Russia  and  the  European 
Neighbourhood  countries,  with  which  it  holds  regular  expert  meetings  on  drugs.  It  also  has  specific 
agreements on cooperation regarding drug precursor control with 11 countries such as China, US and 
Mexico. Within these agreements experts meetings take place on a regular basis, mostly annually. 

In 2013 and 2014 cooperation with European Neighbourhood countries and Russia had focused on 
drug supply reduction but cooperation was less dynamic than in the past. This was most likely also due 
to the challenging security situation along Europe's eastern border. The emergence in the enlargement 
countries of  national  drug strategies in line with the EU Drug Strategy and Action Plans represents 
significant progress49. The EU-CELAC50 coordination and cooperation mechanism on drugs and the 
joint  follow-up  group  on  precursors51  held  meetings  focusing  on  tackling  the  world's  drug  problem. 
The EU policy on drugs in the Latin American region is also supported by a number of regional and 
bilateral cooperation projects52. Dialogues between the EU and US focused on topics such as: dealing 
with new psychoactive substances, abuse of prescribed medicines and preparation for UNGASS 2016. 

The approach taken by the EU's external cooperation programmes on drugs aims to tackle drug supply 
and demand in a balanced way, while also promoting and protecting human rights.  

Some of the major drug-related projects the EU funded in 2013 and 2014 included: 

  COPOLAD, a regional cooperation programme on drugs policies with Latin America53;  
 

the Cocaine Route Programme54 active in 38 countries in West Africa, Latin America and the 
Caribbean;   

48 EMCDDA reporting 
49 In 2013-2014 new/updated strategies were adopted in Turkey, Montenegro, the former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia and Serbia. 
50 Community of Latin American and Caribbean States 
51 The EU has seven specific agreements on drug precursors control in Latin America with Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru 
and Venezuela 
52 i.e. in Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Columbia 
53 COPOLAD, launched in 2010, has been financed entirely by the EU, with a total budget of EUR 6.5 million. In 2014, COPOLAD was 
extended  (to  cover  2016-2019).  In  the  second  phase,  the  EU  contribution  will  be  EUR  10  million.  The  grant  contract  to  implement 
COPOLAD was awarded to a Spanish-led consortium  including partners from Europe, Latin America, associate entities from Costa Rica, 
Poland,  Ecuador,  Mexico  and  Romania,  CICAD  (Inter-American  Drugs  Abuse  Control  Commission),  IDPC  (International  Drug  Policy 
Consortium),  EMCDDA  (European  Monitoring  Centre  for  Drugs  and  Drug  Addiction),  PAHO  (Pan  American  Health  Organisation)  and 
RIOD  (Red  Iberoamericana  de  ONGs  que  trabajan  en  Drogodependencias)  https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/regions/latin-america/copolad-
cooperation-programme-between-latin-america-and-european-union-drugs_en  
54 http://www.cocaineroute.eu/  

10 

 
 
                                                            
the Heroin Route Programme55  
the Central Asia Drug Action Programme (CADAP)56  

 
 
  BOMCA 857, also active in central Asia.  

The  EU  is  also  developing  cooperation  with  West  Africa  where  it  is  providing  support  for 
implementing the ECOWAS58 regional action plan on illicit drug trafficking, related organised crime 
and drug abuse. 

The EU is a longstanding supporter of projects and programmes of the United Nations Office on 
Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The EU finances several projects and programmes in the global fight 
against drug trafficking providing a total funding of EUR 73 million. 

Showcase 

The  cooperation  between  the  EU  and  Latin  America  is  also  defined  by  COPOLAD,  a  regional 
cooperation  programme  on  drugs  policies  aims  at  improving  the  balance,  coherence  and  impact  of 
drugs policies in Latin America as well as the EU-CELAC coordination and cooperation mechanism 
on drugs. Specifically, it aims at strengthening capacities and encouraging the different stages of drugs 
policies  development  process  in  Latin  American  countries.  According  to  Latin  America  national 
Drugs agencies, COPOLAD has helped to enhance changes in the way drugs policies are perceived, it 
has help to change paradigms, it has helped to emphasize the need for: A balanced approach between 
drug demand reduction and drug supply reduction; evidence based-policies; policies based on Human 
Rights  and  Public  Health  principles;  consider  Gender  issues;  introduced  acceptability  for  Harm 
Reduction approaches, which were massively rejected before.  

Alternative development aims at giving farmers an economically viable, legal alternative to growing 
drug crops. Only a few EU countries reported funding such programmes in regions where illicit crop 
cultivation was taking place or which were at risk of illicit crop cultivation in 2013 and 201459.  

In 2013-2014 less than half of the EU countries were involved in helping non-EU countries, including 
civil society in those countries, to develop and implement risk and harm reduction initiatives60.  

A few EU countries funded projects and/or programmes that tackled drug-related organised crime in 
non-EU countries in 2013-201461.  

In  2013  and  2014  half  of  all  EU  Member  States  entered  into  bilateral  agreements,  cooperation 
strategies and/or action plans that included cooperation on drugs with non-EU countries (mainly 
with Russia, the Western Balkans, the Middle East and Latin America). The most common types of 
bilateral cooperation agreements were those that covered coordination, drug demand reduction, drug 
supply reduction, information, evaluation, research and monitoring and those that covered drug supply 
reduction only. 

7.  Information, research, monitoring and evaluation 

55 https://www.fight-trafficking.eu/  
56 The EU consortium is led by Germany. The central Asian countries covered are: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and 
Uzbekistan. The EU allocated EUR 20.7 million to the programme for 2001-13. 
57 Border Management Programme in central Asia. The EU allocated EUR 33.6 million to BOMCA for 2003-14. One component focused on 
strengthening counter-drug capacities in agencies working at borders 
58 Economic Community of West African States  
59 The main beneficiaries were Afghanistan, Myanmar, Laos, Bolivia, Columbia, Peru, and Ecuador. 
60  The  main  beneficiaries  were  Latin  America,  central  and  south-east  Asia,  African  countries,  the  Western  Balkans,  the  southern 
Mediterranean and eastern European countries. 
61 The main beneficiaries were the African countries, the Caribbean, South America, the Western Balkans, central Asia and eastern Europe. 

11 

 
 
                                                            
In 2013 and 2014, the Commission provided close to EUR 10 million in funding for two drug-related 
projects  under  the  Socioeconomic  Sciences  and  Humanities  programme  of  the  Seventh  Framework 
Programme for Research (FP7). The projects were: Addictions and Lifestyles in Contemporary Europe 
(ALICE RAP) and the European Research Area Network on Illicit Drugs (ERANID). The overall FP7 
support  to  research  on  illicit  drug  amounts  to  some  EUR  60  million,  including  also  studies  on: 
injecting  drug  users  in  hepatitis  cohorts  and  HIV-infected  pregnant  women;  innovative  treatment 
options; and improvement of detection technologies for illicit drugs. 

Finally,  the  Commission  also  provided  more  than  EUR  1.5  million  in  funding  from  other  financial 
programmes62 to research–related projects in the area of drugs.  

In 2013-2014 new key research was carried out in EU countries mainly on drug demand reduction and 
on blood borne diseases associated with drug use. The next most popular research topics were poly-
drug use and the misuse of prescribed controlled medicines; drug problems among prisoners and the 
availability and coverage of drug demand reduction interventions and services in prison settings. In a 
few countries, research was being carried out into drug supply reduction and psychiatric and physical 
co-morbidity. 

In 2013 and 2014 almost all EU countries initiated/implemented initiatives to train professionals63 in 
aspects  of  drug  demand  reduction  and  drug  supply  reduction.  Half  also  initiated  or  implemented 
initiatives to train professionals in data collection  and  reporting on drug demand reduction and drug 
supply reduction. Some civil society organisations were also involved in training initiatives at national 
or EU level.   

8.  Conclusions  

Illicit drugs are a complex social problem with very high human and social costs. Drug trafficking is 
one of the most profitable activities for organised crime. For a number of years, the EU has in place a 
policy that seeks to strike a balance between reducing drug demand and drug supply. This EU model is 
recognised as valid by many stakeholders and by non-EU countries.  

The EU should build on existing relations and dialogues with non-EU countries to give a new impetus 
to cooperation on tackling drugs. If the EU wants its balanced approach to the drugs problem to be 
adopted around the world, it will need enhanced and targeted cooperation with non-EU countries and 
with  regional  and  international  organisations.  EU's  engagement  and  support  will  help  non-EU 
countries tackle their drugs problems while at the same time helping with reducing the drugs supply to 
the EU.  

New risks emerge regularly. One of these risks is the rise of new psychoactive substances. It is now 
imperative that the European Parliament and the Council reach agreement to put in place a robust and 
effective system to address the threats  posed by new psychoactive substances across the EU. At the 
same  time,  efforts  are  necessary  to  enhance  the  capacity  to  schedule  dangerous  substances  at 
international level in cooperation with the World Health Organisation.  

62 The Prevention of and Fight against Crime Programme (ISEC), the Drug Prevention and Information Programme (DPIP) and the Justice 
Programme  funded  the  following  projects:  LEADER  on  enhancing  economic  analyses  of  illicit  drugs  (Clinic  Biomedical  Research 
Foundation, Barcelona), Hepatitis C treatment and prevention research (University of Bristol), CASSANDRA research on new psychoactive 
substances supply chain and diffusion (King's College  London), PREDICT  – Predicting risk of emerging drugs with in silico and clinical 
toxicology (Maastricht University). 
63  Including  healthcare  professionals,  NGOs,  police  officers,  diplomats,  teachers  and  educators,  social  workers,  researchers  and  policy-
makers,  risk  analysts,  managers  of  psychosocial  rehabilitation  programmes,  customs  officers  and  customs  dogs,  judges,  attorneys,  prison 
administration 

12 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
Another challenging development is the emergence of the internet as a marketplace for drugs. The 
EU  and  the  international  community  need  to  address  this  aspect  of  the  drug  problem  proactively, 
working  together  with  law  enforcement,  industry,  civil  society  and  other  partners  to  find  effective 
ways to prevent drug trafficking online. 

Cannabis is widely used and trafficked in the EU and the recent emergence of synthetic cannabinoid 
products has added a new dimension to this market. Cannabis is also the subject of intense debate at 
international level and in Europe, as new legislative developments are being implemented in non-EU 
countries allowing its use for recreational purposes. It is likely that this debate will continue and raise 
increased attention in the future. 

Although  information  about  public  spending  on  drug-related  policies  in  the  EU  is  sparse,  there  is 
little  doubt  that  the  economic  crisis  has  had  an  impact  on  how  EU  countries  are  tackling  the  issue. 
According  to  the  EMCDDA  several  EU  Member  States  have  reported  scaling  back  their  harm 
reduction  services  and/or  having  only  low-scale  measures  in  place.  In  addition,  civil  society 
organisations  have  drawn  attention  to  reductions  in  national  budgets  for  drug  prevention  and 
treatment. 

Research  efforts  in  the  drugs  area  will  be  pursued  at  EU  level.  Horizon  2020,  the  EU  Framework 
Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020) and the Justice Programme (2014-2020) will be 
the main instruments to foster EU research in this area. 

The  2016  United  Nation's  General  Assembly  Special  Session  (UNGASS)  on  drugs  will  be  a 
milestone in the further development of a policy that affects the lives of millions of people worldwide. 
The  model  that  the  EU  will  promote  at  UNGASS  is  an  integrated  and  balanced  approach,  based  on 
scientific  evidence.  The  EU  will  also  use  the  event  to  call  for  a  more  humane  and  public  health 
orientated drug policy at international level. It is of paramount importance that the EU speaks with one 
voice at UNGASS. 

As  provided  for  in  the  EU  Drugs  Strategy,  in  2016  the  European  Commission  will  conduct  a 
comprehensive  evaluation  of  its  drugs  strategy  and  action  plan.  The  evaluation  will  look  at  the 
impact of the implementation of the EU Drugs Strategy both inside and outside the EU.  Based on its 
results  the  Commission  will  decide  whether  to  put  forward  a  proposal  for  a  new  2017-2020  Action 
Plan. 

13