Drug trafficking is one of the major sources of revenue of organised crime and remains the most dynamic among criminal markets posing multiple threats for source, transit and destination countries. The impact on economic and social development from drug abuse and the linked money laundering can be devastating.
An inherent problem in enhancing cooperation in the fight against drugs is the lack of multilayer cooperation that starts from the lack of inter-agency cooperation within a single country and extends to a lack of partnership working between other countries and regions. This weak collaborative chain can be exploited by organised crime groups that capitalise on the limited trust amongst different key stakeholders. Moreover, given the dynamism and complexity of the organised crime phenomenon, a capacity for strategic analysis and threat assessment is needed to ensure that responses designed by beneficiary countries are focused on the most relevant areas of intervention.
Therefore, a regional approach should encourage the gradual adoption by beneficiary authorities of compatible methods and indicators which in turn should facilitate information sharing and cooperation.
The EU Action Against Drugs and Organised Crime (EU-ACT) was designed to promote the comprehensive and balanced EU approach on drugs and enhance synergies with the EU policy cycle for organised and serious international crime, project activity under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) is in line with the EU Drugs Strategy (2013-2020) and the European Agenda on Security (2015) and contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG 16.a) and the 2016 UNGASS Outcome Document on the World Drug Problem and the 2012 Vienna Declaration.
EU-ACT aimed at building capacities to increase regional and trans-regional law enforcement cooperation and coordination in the fight against organised crime and trafficking activities along the heroin route, as well as supporting the development of drugs policy and drug demand reduction activities.
EU-ACT, which ended in December 2021, was implemented by FIIAPP in partnership with a consortium of law enforcement agencies from different EU Member States.
EU Drug Market Report 2019, EMCDDA
