How is the EU tackling drug trafficking and synthetic substance use?

Europe’s drug problem is becoming more complicated. On June 9, the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) released its 2026 European Drug Report, which covers 27 EU countries, Norway, and Türkiye. The findings are worrying.

Drugs are now more accessible, potent, and difficult to intercept. Synthetic substances are stronger, supply chains are more sophisticated, and trafficking-related violence has increased near major ports, including Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Hamburg. The EUDA estimates that at least 7,600 people died from overdoses in the EU in 2024, primarily due to polysubstance use, with opioids as the leading cause.

The EU launched a new Drugs Strategy, approved by the Council on June 4, that will run until 2030. The plan is based on five main areas: preparedness, public health, security, harm prevention, and working with other countries. It also includes a special strategy for ports and grants greater powers to Europol, Frontex, and the EUDA.

But critics are sceptical. The Global Commission on Drug Policy says harm reduction has been sidelined in favour of enforcement, and warns that hardening major ports may simply push trafficking elsewhere.