#Drugs - Statement by Commissioner Avramopoulos on occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

On the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: "The illicit drugs market is getting more and more dynamic and highly adaptable. It poses new and constantly evolving challenges to our society, especially with regards to children and young people. With higher drug production and availability in Europe as well as the continuous presence of new psychoactive substances, such as for example fentanyls, the European Union will continue and step up its action to fight this phenomenon. It is no time to let our guard down. We will continue to raise awareness, support prevention, with a key focus on younger generation, and remain alert and responsive. Illicit drugs and drug abuse is a common global challenge and we will continue to coordinate our response with our neighbours and international partners."

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was introduced by the UN in 1987 to raise international awareness on the major problem illicit drugs represent to modern society and to strengthen the global action to achieve the goal of a society free of drug abuse. This year's International Day focused on a theme "Listen First - Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe" with particular attention to support prevention of drug use.

This UN initiative is fully in line with priorities of the European Union in the area of fighting against drug abuse and illicit drugs, as outlined EU Drugs Strategy for 2013-2020 and the Action Plan on Drugs for 2017-2020. The EU is closely monitoring the drug situation in Europe and issues annual reports providing a comprehensive analysis of recent drug trends and developments across the 28 EU member states, Turkey and Norway. The 2018 European Drug Report was presented by Commissioner Avramopoulos earlier this month, on 7 June.

More information on the report is available online.

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