Roadmap on anti-drug trafficking

In order to improve the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime in the EU, the EESC recommends that Member States provide their customs administrations and police forces with adequate human and technical resources, decent pay, working conditions and continued training. The opinion highlights that trade unions representing police and customs officials should be involved to better identify human resources and equipment needs. The EESC advocates better cross-border law enforcement coordination between police and customs authorities, and better cooperation between law enforcement and judicial authorities as well as fiscal authorities in order to combat organised crime as effectively as possible. The opinion also underlines that combating the abuse of drugs necessitates a differentiated, whole-of-society approach, remarking that drug use should be tackled more by means of preventive and accompanying measures and less through repression.

Summary

The objective of the Commission's communication is to strengthen different actions in order to reinforce the resilience of transport hubs such as in particular ports and also improve cooperation between the different public and private actors in this field.
The communication also covering aspects of crime prevention and disrupting organised crime networks, more broadly highlighting the need for a multidisciplinary approach including also civil society.