Tomorrow morning (Wednesday), EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, will take part in the launch of the European Drug Report 2021, published by the EU’s Drugs Agency, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. The Commissioner will be joined by Laura d’Arrigo, Chair of the Agency’s Management Board, and Alexis Goosdeel, the Agency’s Director.
Commissioner Johansson said:
“In 2020 alone, 46 new drugs were detected in the EU. The trafficking of illicit drugs corrupts our societies, fuelling violence and risking the health and security of our citizens. This is why we are taking action to dismantle drug trafficking networks and disrupt production while improving prevention and access to treatment.”
The European Drug Report 2021 will analyse recent drug use and supply trends across the EU, Turkey and Norway, addressing in particular the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug markets, use and services. It will also report on developments in treatment and prevention.
Based on the EU Agenda on Drugs presented by the Commission last year, the Council approved an EU Drugs Strategy for the period 2021 to 2025, to address the security and health implications of drug trafficking and drug use and to better protect Europeans.
In addition, the EU Strategy to tackle Organised Crime presented in April this year will contribute to disrupting the business models and structures of criminal organisations, including drug traffickers, across borders. The virtual launch event will start at 11:00 CET tomorrow.
You can register here. The report and a full press release by the EU’s Drugs Agency will be available here tomorrow.