The Commission welcomes today’s political agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on a strengthened mandate to create a new EU Organisation for Drugs. The new agency builds on the achievements of the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction.

Illicit drugs are a complex security and health problem affecting millions of people in the EU and around the world. According to the European Drug Report 2022, it is estimated that more than 83 million adults in the EU (29% of the adult population) have used illicit drugs at least once in their lifetime. In 2020, an estimated 5,800 overdose deaths in the EU were linked to illicit drugs, most of which were due to combinations of illicit opioids, other illicit drugs, medicines and alcohol (a practice also known as ‘polydrug toxicity’). At the same time, these substances remain widely available, particularly cocaine, as well as a growing number of different substances, often of high content or purity. These figures call for effective action at EU level.

With this enhanced mandate, the EU Agency for Drugs will take on a new role, which includes:

• Issuing warnings in case particularly dangerous substances appear on the market

• Threat assessment for illegal narcotics that adversely affect public health and safety

• Monitoring and taking action on polydrug use

• Creation of a network of forensic and toxicological laboratories, bringing together national laboratories, in order to promote the exchange of information on new developments and to support the training of experts in forensic toxicology

• Develop and promote evidence-based interventions, good practices and awareness-raising activities, as well as assistance to Member States

• Research and support on health-related issues such as drug markets and drug supply

• A greater role on the international stage through enhanced cooperation with key partners such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Narcotics Control Board, as well as with regional, national and other actors and agencies in drug producing and transit countries

• Network of national contact points, responsible for providing the organization with relevant data.

The regulation must now be formally approved by the European Parliament and the Council.