The European Union and its member states, in a statement on 26 June 2026 marking the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, welcomed the UNODC 2026 World Drug Report as an irreplaceable data source and announced the signing of a working arrangement between UNODC and the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) to strengthen international cooperation on drug issues.
The statement, delivered on behalf of the EU and its member states by the Delegation of the European Union to the International Organisations in Vienna, highlighted that the widespread availability of illicit drugs, particularly novel substances with limited scientific understanding, is having an increasingly negative impact on health, safety, and the environment. The EU noted that opioids and stimulants remain the leading cause of drug-induced deaths in Europe, with EUDA estimating at least 7,600 overdose fatalities in the EU in 2024. Drug-related intimidation, violence, and the exploitation of vulnerable young people by criminal groups were also cited as growing concerns in several European cities.
The EU reaffirmed its commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation through the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and UNODC, and to implementing the outcome of the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem and the complemented UN Guiding Principles on Alternative Development adopted earlier this year. The EU's approach, guided by the new EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan against drug trafficking, is evidence-based, integrated, balanced, multidisciplinary, and human rights-centred, with a focus on deepening cooperation with partner countries along key trafficking routes.
The statement also expressed deep concern over the dramatic increase in the application of the death penalty for drug-related offences, reiterating the EU's unequivocal opposition to the death penalty in all cases and calling on member states to address root causes of drug trafficking instead.
On 26 June 2026, UNODC and EUDA signed a working arrangement, which the EU believes will increase cooperation in key areas and help deliver a more coordinated international response to the evolving drug situation. EUDA Executive Director Lorraine Nolan was given the floor to elaborate on the new framework.