The Council of the European Union today adopted a new EU Drugs Strategy for 2021-2025. With this, the German Council Presidency achieved its main goal in the field of drug policy.

The drug market is worth 30 billion euro annually in Europe alone. Society and the health sector suffer enormous costs as a result of substance abuse. It is necessary to have a political framework coordinated among the 27 member states to effectively protect EU citizens from the detrimental consequences of drug abuse and the threats posed by organised drug-related crime.

That is why EU member states agreed to continue their "balanced approach in drug policy". This approach defines a drug policy that combines drug supply reduction with drug demand reduction.

The new EU Drugs Strategy covers all pillars of European drug policy: enhanced security to reduce drug supply and action in the field of health to promote prevention and treatment and minimise harm are complemented by such cross-cutting themes as international cooperation, research and coordination.

Parliamentary State Secretary Prof. Günther Krings commented: "In the last few years we have seized a record amount of illegal drugs, above all cocaine, in Europe. This shows that so far our European strategy to fight international organised drug trafficking has not been good enough. With the new EU Drugs Strategy we are defining clear priorities in European drug policy for the next five years."

Daniela Ludwig, German Federal Government Commissioner on Narcotic Drugs, said: "It is wonderful that we have reached this agreement. It sends a very important signal. For me it is decisive that prevention, treatment and harm reduction remain top among the priorities on our common list. The police cannot solve drug problems alone, after all. As President of the Council of the EU, Germany has made it clear that more attention needs to be paid to groups that for drug-related reasons are particularly vulnerable, such as children of drug-addicted parents. They need early cross-service support."

In contrast to a drug agenda presented by the European Commission in July 2020, the new EU Drugs Strategy adopted by the Council of the European Union not only calls for intensifying the fight against organised crime, but also identifies other related and equally important priorities in the areas of prevention, treatment and harm reduction.  As part of the new strategy, EU member states have also agreed to pursue a common approach in international drug policy, in particular at the level of the United Nations. One of the main priorities decided in this field is promoting alternative development measures in regions where illicit drug plants such as coca are cultivated.

The new strategy replaces a predecessor strategy of the EU member states valid until the end of 2020. It will serve as a basis for the next EU Action Plan on Drugs. Work on this action plan, which will put the strategy into effect, will start in January 2021 under the Portuguese Council Presidency.  

The document adopted by the Council of the European Union can be accessed here: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-14178-2020-INIT/de/pdf

For more information please visit www.drogenbeauftragte.de (in German)