EU Statement on “Expanding Range of Drugs and Diversifying Markets” at the third intersessional meeting of the 67th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, 12-14 November 2024

Distinguished Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina[1]  and Georgia, the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, as well as San Marino, align themselves with this statement.

As we gather today, we are witnessing conflict and violence in many parts of the world. The EU and its Member States call for the full respect for the UN Charter, International Law and International Humanitarian Law, whether in relation to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, or the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Sudan, Ethiopia, DRC and elsewhere. Such wars and conflicts create an environment that facilitates the illicit manufacture and trafficking of drugs and other related transnational organised crime and severely impact health care facilities, transport and supplies[2].

In recent years, the drug market has undergone significant changes. According to the World Drug Report 2024, global opium production fell by 74% in 2023, mostly due to the Taliban’s ban on opium cultivation in Afghanistan. This could have long-term implications, including on the availability of heroin and its purity, and it could lead to changes in patterns of drug cultivation, production, trafficking and use. At the same time, the supply of stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine has reached record highs over the last two years.

A recent report by the European Union Drugs Agency and Europol on new psychoactive substances concludes that easy-to-produce, highly potent substances, such as synthetic opioids, continue to emerge. Also, an increasing number of well-known new psychoactive substances have recently re-appeared in Europe. Some of these, such as cathinones, have been seized in industrial quantities. These are worrying trends, which appear to be linked to attempts by criminal networks to exploit differences in national drug laws, and to the spread of new psychoactive substances globally.

Organised crime networks operating in the global drug market are highly agile and innovative as shown in Europol’s assessment of the most threatening criminal networks[3]. They are also resilient to global crises, instability and significant political and economic changes, and infiltrate the legal business world. This includes misusing global transport flows for their operations. According to the European Drug Report 2024, almost 70% of the drug seizures by customs authorities in the EU happen in ports. In response to these increasing challenges, EU Member States, together with the Commission, are undertaking several priority actions. In particular, as announced in the EU’s Roadmap to fight drug trafficking and organised crime, the European Ports Alliance was launched last January. This initiative includes a public-private partnership designed to increase the resilience of Europe’s key logistical hubs against drug trafficking and infiltration by organised crime groups.

Due to the global expansion of the drug trade and the borderless nature of organised crime groups, it remains important to work together with our international partners. We therefore appreciate the efforts made by UNODC and at the CND to work together on exchanging data and sharing best practices. We are also implementing bi-regional initiatives, such as the La Paz declaration of the EU - CELAC Coordination and Cooperation Mechanism on Drugs, outlining priority actions for our joint efforts in the coming years. They focus on the illicit production and trafficking of drugs, substance use and substance use disorders, the link between drugs and crimes that affect the environment and other forms of organised crime related to drug trafficking.

The EU has also joined the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drugs Threats, initiated by the U.S. We believe that the outcome of the intensive work of experts from around the world on topics of common interest will contribute to improving our global capacity to address synthetic drug threats and curb the rise of these substances. The EU also welcomes the adoption by the UN General Assembly of a resolution addressing global public health and security challenges posed by synthetic drugs in December 2023, encouraging States to explore innovative approaches to more effectively tackle the threats posed by the phenomenon. Likewise, the EU welcomes the adoption by the CND in March 2024 of a resolution on overdose prevention through prevention, treatment, care, and recovery measures, including harm reduction measures.

Finally, in line with the EU Drugs Strategy, the EU and its Member States stand ready to continue working with our other international partners, including with our Western Balkans partners, the U.S., countries in Latin-America and the Caribbean and in Central Asia, as well as with China through our regular Dialogues on Drugs. We will continue to coordinate our efforts against drug trafficking and promote drug policy interventions that are guided by the human right to health and are development-centred, on the basis of principles of shared responsibility, multilateralism, respect for human rights and human dignity, the rule of law and respect for the international drug control conventions.

Distinguished Chair,

International drug trafficking continues to affect every aspect of society, posing significant threats to global security and public health. Given the transnational nature of this challenge, reversing the expansion of the drug market demands a coordinated and collective effort. In this regard, we firmly believe that the Commission on Narcotic Drugs is the best placed forum to address these critical issues. The importance of these thematic discussions cannot be overstated, as they are essential in identifying key problem areas and paving the way for effective solutions.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[1] North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

[2] Based on the EU statement at the general debate of the high-level segment of the CND session in March 2024 (ST 8063/24).

^[3] https://www.europol.europa.eu/publication-events/main-reports/decoding-eus-most-threatening-criminal-networks