Europol and EMCDDA: Excellent cooperation to combat the illicit drug markets in the EU

Today, Europol Director Rob Wainwright hosted the visit of Alexis Goosdeel, Director of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), at Europol's headquarters in The Hague. Director Wainwright welcomed the delegation and discussed Europol's excellent cooperation with the EMCDDA, in particular in the areas of the drug situation and the EU Drug Markets Report, as well as other opportunities for further synergies between the two agencies.

In the last 12 months, the EMCDDA has been involved in the activities of several of Europol’s Focal Points¹ dealing with cybercrime, synthetic drugs, heroin, cocaine and cannabis. The EMCDDA will be chairing the Justice and Home Affairs Agencies Network in 2017 and will focus on internet-related topics such as the drugs supply on the darknet.

Speaking about the challenges for law enforcement posed by drug-related crime, Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol, stated:

The cooperation between Europol and the EMCDDA has proved to be exemplary, in particular in combatting the illicit drug markets in the EU. Illicit drugs are one of the major threats to the health and security of EU citizens, with up to two million problem drug users. This strong collaboration demonstrates what Justice and Home Affairs agencies can achieve together when trusted relationships are established.Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol

EMCDDA Director Alexis Goosdeel said: “For the past 15 years, the EMCDDA and Europol have been working closely together, pooling expertise and insight to contribute to a safer and a more secure Europe. By combining a holistic overview of the drug situation with strategic intelligence on trends in organised crime, we have delivered crucial analyses, such as the EU Drug Markets Report, informing policy and facilitating action at EU and national level. We collaborate on a daily basis, monitoring potentially threatening new psychoactive substances, in doing so helping to reduce harm and save lives. We will continue to work together in the area of security, producing threat assessments and using data-collection tools that help us separate important signals from the ever-present noise”.

Europol and the EMCDDA jointly publish the EU Drug Markets Report, which provides a unique insight into the operation of illicit drug markets in the EU. The report assesses the impact of the drug market on society and the factors driving it. Understanding these hidden markets, and the actors involved, is essential to making sound policy decisions with lasting impact. The report combines the analytical power of the EMCDDA’s drug monitoring system with Europol’s operational intelligence on trends in organised crime. The EU Drug Markets Report 2016 can be downloaded here.

 

¹ A Focal Point is an area within an information processing system offered by Europol which focuses on a certain phenomenon from a commodity based, thematic or regional angle e.g. drug trafficking. It allows Europol to provide analysis, prioritise resources, ensure purpose limitation and maintain focus on expertise.