Report on the state of drugs problems in Europe: the Commission calls on Member States for a united and coordinated approach.
The yearly report published today by the European monitoring centre on drugs and drug addictions (EMCDDA) shows that Europe has to face an increasingly sophisticated drug market and a rise increase in multi-consumption of various drugs and alcohol. If cocaine and heroin are still the drugs most consumed, other drugs such as methamphetamines are more and more present in Eastern and Northern Europe. The fall in cannabis use, in particular by young people, gives some hope, although the number of intensive and regular users could reach 2,5% of young Europeans.
Commenting the release of the report, Jacques Barrot, vice-president of the European Commission in charge of Justice, Liberty and Security, declared: ''The European Commission calls on Member States to act in a united and coordinated manner to use more not only the figures and the reports of the EMCDDA, but also the tools that they themselves have put in place, like Europol and Eurojust, which are agencies specialised in fighting criminal activities at European level. It is time to acknowledge that fighting drug and organised crime at a national level only is definitely over. Globalisation of crime is a fact, but the European response often remains fragmented. The European Commission has been trying hard for over ten years to overcome these national barriers in Europe. Let's hope that the new Lisbon Treaty will allow us to move up a gear in fighting drugs use and drug related crimes''.