EU leaders eye coordinated response to growing drug trade

European leaders on Friday urged the European Commission, EU countries and relevant agencies to strengthen coordination in a fight against a €31 billion-worth illicit drugs market. The booming European drug market is causing so many problems that, for the first time, challenges linked to the use and trafficking of drugs were discussed at the EU leaders' level this Friday. "As the home of one of the biggest ports in Europe, my country has gained a simple but central knowledge: organised crime knows no boundaries," Bart De Wever, Belgium's Prime Minister, told reporters after the meeting in Brussels. "Therefore, our answer to this threat must not end at the borders." Europe's rapidly expanding drug market, estimated to be €31 billion-strong, includes the growing availability of new psychoactive substances and complex supply chains that involve encrypted apps and online markets. Amid such a situation, European leaders stressed the importance of addressing "all aspects of the drugs phenomenon in a comprehensive, whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach based on evidence, with a coordinated effort across local, regional, national, EU and international levels," according to the conclusions. "This includes enhancing preparedness, protecting public health, strengthening security, preventing drug-related harm, and fostering European and international partnerships and cooperation initiatives, such as the European Coalition Against Drugs, as well as law enforcement cooperation with third countries," the EU leaders said in the conclusions. EU home affairs ministers earlier this month agreed on how to implement the EU drugs strategy for 2026 to 2030.