EU Interior Commissioner Magnus Brunner: “Europe has reached a critical point when it comes to drug trafficking.”Image: Shutterstock
Dec 4, 2025, 4:04 p.mDecember 4, 2025, 4:05 p.m
In the fight against drug crime, the EU Commission wants to take stronger action against smuggling routes and the misuse of raw materials for medicines. Europe has reached a critical point when it comes to drug trafficking, said the responsible EU Interior Commissioner Magnus Brunner. In many European cities there is an increase in drug-related crime and the associated violence.
The Brussels authority presented an action plan with 19 measures. Among other things, this provides for the EU border protection agency Frontex to be increasingly used to detect drug smuggling. Frontex should also use drones to discover possible smuggling routes through aerial recordings. In addition, Europol should increasingly target online drug trafficking and support EU countries in their investigative work.
The Commission’s plans: Identify new drug trends at an early stage
The EU Drug Agency (EUDA) should be able to react more quickly to emerging drugs and warn member states. According to plans, EUDA will create a database in the future in order to identify trends in the drug scene earlier. At the same time, the agency should support preventive measures in EU countries – for example in the treatment and reintegration of addicts.
Magnus Brunner, presents the EU drug strategy.Image: keystone
Children and young people should also be protected from being recruited by criminal gangs. The EU Commission is planning to network European experts and incorporate their findings into prevention work.
New regulations for starting materials for medicines planned
In addition to the action plan, the EU Commission is also proposing new rules for so-called precursor drugs. These starting materials for medicines are therefore often misused for the development of synthetic drugs. Trade in these substances should be restricted. The EU Commission wants to ban some substances that have no apparent use other than the production of drugs – with exceptions for research. The authority is proposing to reform two older EU regulations for the plans. (sda/dpa)