INTRODUCTION
The EU Drugs Strategy 2021-2025 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Strategy’) provides the overarching political framework and priorities for the European Union’s drugs policy for the period 2021-2025. The framework, aim and objectives of the Strategy serve as the basis for the EU Drugs Action Plan from 2021 to 2025 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Action Plan’).
The Strategy aims to protect and improve the well-being of society and of the individual, to protect and promote public health, to offer a high level of security and well-being for the general public and to increase health literacy. The Strategy takes an evidence-based, integrated, balanced and multidisciplinary approach to the drugs phenomenon at national, EU and international level. It also incorporates a gender equality and health equity perspective.
The Action Plan pursues the aims and objectives of, follows the approach of, and builds on the same documents and information as the Strategy. The Action Plan is based on the principles, values and legal provisions which lie at the basis of the Strategy. In implementing the Strategy, the Action Plan addresses the existing and evolving challenges of the drugs phenomenon, taking on board the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and taking a future-oriented approach to anticipate challenges.
The Action Plan sets out the actions to be implemented to achieve the eleven strategic priorities of the Strategy. Actions are set out under the three policy areas of the Strategy:
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Drug supply reduction: enhancing security,
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Drug demand reduction: prevention, treatment and care services, and
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Addressing drug-related harm
and the three cross-cutting themes of the Strategy:
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International cooperation,
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Research, innovation and foresight and
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Coordination, governance and implementation.
By 2025, the priorities and actions in the field of illicit drugs, coordinated through the Strategy and implemented through the Action Plan, should have had an overall impact on key aspects of the EU drug situation. The coherent, effective and efficient implementation of measures should both ensure a high level of human health protection, social stability and security, and contribute to awareness raising. Any potential unintended negative consequences associated with the implementation of the actions should be minimised, and human rights and sustainable development promoted.
In drawing up the actions, account was taken of the need to be evidence-based, scientifically sound, realistic, time-bound and measurable with a clear EU relevance and added value.
The Action Plan aligns strategic priorities and actions, with a specific timetable to be developed, a list of responsible parties and a set of indicators based on the existing reporting mechanisms. These do not involve an additional reporting burden. They facilitate the measurement of the overall effectiveness of the Action Plan.
The Commission, taking into account information provided by the Member States and the EEAS, and available from the EMCDDA, Europol and other relevant EU bodies, as well as from civil society, will monitor the implementation of the Strategy and the Action Plan, in close cooperation with the Presidency and the Horizontal Working Party on Drugs (HDG), and will initiate an overall external evaluation of the implementation of the Strategy and of the Action Plan.
The results of this evaluation will be made available to the European Parliament and to the Council as soon as they are available, and at the latest by 31 March 2025, in order to be discussed in the relevant fora and in particular in the HDG. These discussions will form the basis for the definition of the future development of EU drugs policy and the following cycle of the EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan to be approved by the Council.
I – DRUG SUPPLY REDUCTION : ENHANCING SECURITY
Strategic priority 1 : Disrupt and dismantle high-risk drug-related organised crime groups operating in, originating in or targeting the EU Member States; address links with other security threats and improve crime prevention
Strategic priority 2 : Increase the detection of illicit wholesale trafficking of drugs and drug precursors at EU points of entry and exit
Strategic priority 3: Tackle the exploitation of logistical and digital channels for medium- and small-volume illicit drug distribution and increase seizures of illicit substances smuggled through these channels in close cooperation with the private sector
Strategic priority 4 : Dismantle illicit drug production and counter illicit cultivation; prevent the diversion and trafficking of drug precursors for illicit drug production; and address environmental damage
II – DRUG DEMAND REDUCTION: PREVENTION, TREATMENT AND CARE SERVICES
Strategic priority 5: Prevent drug use and raise awareness of the adverse effects of drugs
Strategic priority 6: Ensure access to and strengthen treatment and care services
III – ADDRESSING DRUG-RELATED HARM
Strategic priority 7 : Risk- and harm-reduction interventions and other measures to protect and support people who use drugs
Strategic priority 8 : Address the health and social needs of people who use drugs in prison settings and after release
IV – INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Strategic priority 9 : Strengthening international cooperation with third countries, regions, international and regional organisations, and at multilateral level to pursue the approach and objectives of the Strategy, including in the field of development. Enhancing the role of the EU as a global broker for a people-centred and human rights-oriented drug policy
V – RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND FORESIGHT
Strategic priority 10 : Building synergies to provide the EU and its Member States with the comprehensive research evidence base and foresight capacities necessary to enable a more effective, innovative and agile approach to the growing complexity of the drugs phenomenon, and to increase the preparedness of the EU and its Member States to respond to future challenges and crises
VI – COORDINATION, GOVERNANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION
Strategic priority 11 : Ensuring optimal implementation of the Strategy and of the Action Plan, coordination by default of all stakeholders and the provision of adequate resources at EU and national levels
(1) The stakeholders listed as responsible parties are the stakeholders involved in the implementation of the action concerned. The involvement of responsible parties for the implementation of the Action Plan shall be in accordance with their respective role as defined in applicable Union legislation and in their mandate.
(2) UNODC/WHO International Standards on Drug Use Prevention
(3) For details, see Item 18 02 77 04 — Preparatory action — EU-coordinated Darknet monitoring to counter criminal activities, on page 61 of Annex 3, PP/PA budgetary remarks.
(4) Postal item: an item addressed in the final form in which it is to be carried by a postal service provider. In addition to items of correspondence, such items also include, for instance, books, catalogues, newspapers, periodicals and postal parcels containing merchandise with or without commercial value.
(5) Council Conclusions on the implementation of the EU Action Plan on Drugs 2013-2016 regarding minimum quality standards in drug demand reduction in the European Union 11985/15.
(6) The term ‘alternatives to coercive sanctions’ could, according to the national legislation of the Member States, also refer to alternatives that are used instead of or alongside the traditional criminal justice measures for drug-using offenders (see Council conclusions: Promoting the use of alternatives to coercive sanctions for drug using offenders, 8 March 2018).
(7) Council Conclusions on Alternative Development: ‘Towards a new Understanding of Alternative Development and Related Development- centered Drug Policy Interventions – Contributing to the Implementation of UNGASS 2016 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals’.
(8) taking into account specific framework conditions, including: assuring full compliance with international human rights obligations and adhering to the principles of gender equality, non-conditionality, non-discrimination and proper sequencing when designing, implementing and evaluating alternative development programmes, as well as stressing the environmental and climate considerations linked to illicit drug crop cultivation and drug production.
(9) For more, see Drugs and drug addiction – expanding the mandate of the European monitoring centre: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12432-Revision-of-the-mandate-of-the-European-Monitoring-Centre-for-Drugs-and-Drug-Addiction.
ANNEX I
Overarching indicators for the EU Drugs Action Plan 2021-2025 (1)
1)
Developments in targeting high-risk organised crime groups: indicator based on cases reports and available statistical information on operations to disrupt high-risk organised crime groups targeting the EU, including review of major assets recovery operations and financial investigations and significant developments in cross border cooperation. (Sources Europol, European Commission, Member States, EMCDDA)
2)
Trends in drug-related organised crime, corruption, intimidation and gang violence: indicator based on a summary of available structured data sources collected using a common methodology, case reports and expert opinion. (Sources: Europol, EMCDDA, Member States, European Commission)
3)
Drug Markets Dashboard: Market Trends by market level in: number and quantities of seized illicit drugs; number of drug production labs seized; number of drug production related offences, drug prices and purity/dose (by market level where possible); data from other relevant information sources sensitive to understanding differences in drug availability, content and form, at different levels of the drug market where these are available; trends in the availability and use of precursors and other chemicals required for drug production; trends and developments in the use of the darknet and other digital-facilitated means for drug sales. (Sources: EMCDDA; Europol, European Commission, Member States)
4)
Impact on communities: indicator measuring through two Eurobarometer studies (2021 and 2025) and, if available, other relevant national or EU-level data sources, perceptions of how drugs, their availability and the operation of drug markets impact on public health, safety and the security of communities, including drug-related violence and intimidation. (Sources: European Commission, Member States)
5)
Health Dashboard: EU-level reporting on the health impact of drug use. Trends in drug related morbidity and mortality. Providing a summary analysis of the most recent available data from both established and developing sources on: trends in drug-related hospital emergencies, drug-related deaths, infectious diseases and associated health problems, including injecting drug use and other high-risk drug use behaviours, as well as mental health issues related to drug use, if data available. (Sources: EMCDDA, Member States)
6)
Prevalence and patterns of drug use: indicator of trends from surveys of the general population who have used drugs (recently and ever) and from youth or school surveys on drug use (last year and ever) and the age of first drug initiation, and information on prevalence and patterns of drug use from other important subpopulations where available. (Sources: EMCDDA, ESPAD, HBSC, Member States)
7)
Reducing Harm Dashboard: indicator of measures of availability of evidence-based prevention, treatment, harm reduction services, and alternatives to coercive sanctions (2) for drug-using offenders. Availability and coverage of opioid agonist treatment, availability of needle and syringe programmes and coverage of HCV, HIV and HBV testing and treatment for people who inject drugs. (Sources: EMCDDA, Member States)
8)
Trends and developments in NPS: indicator from Early Warning System on the appearance of and harm caused by new psychoactive substances, derived from reporting to the Early Warning System and Risk Assessment exercises on new psychoactive substances. (Sources: EMCDDA, Europol, Member States, European Commission)
9)
Emerging Threats Dashboard: indicator that highlights potential emerging threats based on the triangulation of data from more timely and forward-looking sources (where available) including for example, levels of drug volumes consumed in community/cities from waste water analysis, web surveys, forensic, toxicological reporting, etc. (Sources: EMCDDA, Member States)
10)
Responding to drug use in prison: indicator on the availability and coverage of responses to address the issue of drugs use in custodial settings including an assessment of the extent to which a comprehensive and balanced approach to responding to drug use exists in custodial settings. (Sources: EMCDDA, Member States)
11)
Meeting commitments of the Sustainable Development Goals: indicator of progress made in relation to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (Eurostat report on the progress made towards achieving the SDGs relevant to drug issues).(Sources: Eurostat, European Commission)
(1) These indicators will be informed by statistical and other routine sources of information collected as part of ongoing efforts to monitor and respond to drug use in Europe and provide the most comprehensive set of EU-level resources to support the monitoring and evaluation of the EU Drugs Strategy 2021-2025 and EU Drugs Action Plan 2021-2025. Whilst the most up-to-date information available will be used, the data available will not necessarily correspond directly with the 2021-2025 period. Even though routine sources will be used whenever possible, some additional data collection exercises may be required to support the reporting of some of the indicators listed here. Therefore, they support a comprehensive evaluation and facilitate the assessment of the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value of the Strategy and its Action Plan.
(2) The term ‘alternatives to coercive sanctions’ could, according to the national legislation of the Member States, also refer to alternatives that are used instead of or alongside the traditional criminal justice measures for drug-using offenders (see Council conclusions: Promoting the use of alternatives to coercive sanctions for drug using offenders, 8 March 2018.
ANNEX II
Glossary of acronyms
