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Violence and organised crime in the EU
The use of violence by criminals involved in organised crime is increasing in the European Union (EU), in terms of frequency, severity, visibility and impact. Most violence is concentrated in and around major transit points and transportation hubs used for smuggling goods, particularly drugs. At the same time, firearms are a key enabler of the increasing violence perpetrated by organised crime groups. Increased competition between rival criminal groups has led to a spillover of violence onto the ...
Recreational use of cannabis: Laws and policies in selected EU Member States
Cannabis is by far the most commonly used illicit drug in the European Union (EU), where its distribution, cultivation, possession and use (consumption) are largely banned. The prohibition of drug-related activities other than those performed for medical or scientific purposes is the defining feature of the international drug control system. Set up by the United Nations (UN), this system is composed of three complementary conventions, to which all EU Member States are party. Countries around the ...
EU cooperation with Latin America: Combating drug trafficking in the Andean region
The global supply of cocaine is at record levels: in just six years (from 2014 to 2020), cocaine production doubled and led to a 416 % increase in the European cocaine market. Almost all cocaine produced comes from the Andean region: With 61 % of total production, Colombia remains the world's biggest cultivator of coca, followed by Peru (26 %) and Bolivia (13 %). Political instability experienced in Andean countries in recent years goes hand in hand with a worsening public security situation and ...
Understanding the EU's response to illicit drugs
The EU is an important market for illicit drugs (hereinafter referred to as drugs), both in terms of consumption and production. An estimated 29 % of European adults aged 15-65 have used drugs at least once in their lifetime, the majority of them being men. Cannabis remains by far the most used drug, followed by cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy or molly) and amphetamines. Drugs have been claiming an increasing number of lives in the EU since 2012, but their impact goes far beyond the harm caused by their use ...
International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking: EU action against illicit drugs
Every 26 June, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking seeks to raise awareness of the problems, challenges and nefarious effects of illicit drugs (hereinafter referred to as drugs) on individuals and on society as whole. Drugs are an increasingly complex security, social and health problem that affects millions of people in the European Union (EU) and globally. The drug market generates huge profits for organised crime, and is estimated to be the source of approximately ...
Strengthening the EU Drugs Agency's mandate
In January 2022, the European Commission proposed a stronger mandate for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) to ensure that the Agency can react effectively to new challenges, provide better support to Member States, and contribute to developments at the international level. During the June 2023 plenary session, Ϸվ is set to vote on the provisional agreement resulting from interinstitutional negotiations.
Police cooperation achievements during the legislative term 2014-2019: the role of the European Ϸվ
Effective police cooperation is a key step in turning the EU into an area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) based on respect for fundamental rights. Cross-border law enforcement cooperation – involving the police, customs and other law enforcement services – is designed to prevent, detect and investigate criminal offences across the EU. In practice, this cooperation mainly concerns serious crime (organised crime, drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings and cybercrime) and terrorism. ...
EU security cooperation with Latin America: A priority requiring consolidation
Although security cooperation is not yet a well-consolidated priority for the EU in its relations with Latin America, it has acquired increasing importance with the explicit inclusion of citizen security as a new priority area in the 2015 EU-CELAC action plan. The main current areas of EU security-related cooperation with the region are the fight against drugs; violence prevention; conflict resolution in Colombia, with an EU stake in its peace process; and the participation of some Latin American ...
Drugs package: Tackling new psychoactive substances
Improving the EU's response to the rapid spread of new psychoactive substances has become urgent, and consequently Ϸվ is due to vote on a 'drugs package' during the October II plenary session. The package makes additions to the directive setting common minimum rules on criminal acts and penalties in the field of illicit drug trafficking, as well as corresponding amendments to the founding regulation of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).
Mexico and the new US Administration
Donald Trump's election as US President has brought about an important policy shift with regard to Mexico, all the more so because the new US Administration seems determined to complete the promised wall along the US-Mexico border and deport undocumented immigrants. It also intends to renegotiate NAFTA, stating that it does not adequately protect US interests.