Values and rights, rule of law, security
#TheFutureIsYours Looking after citizens’ freedoms
Conference of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia - Comprehensive approach to combating drug crimes
In July 2020, the European Commission published the EU Security Union Strategy and the accompanying Drugs Action Plan for 2021-2025, emphasising the need to combat illegal distribution of drugs and narcotic substances more efficiently. More precisely, all the available data from national law enforcement authorities and Europol indicate that the availability of drugs is extremely high throughout Europe. Given its 30 billion euros of annual profit, illicit drug trafficking is the largest criminal market in the EU. This is directly connected to the rise in serious and organised crime, including smuggling and money laundering, as well as violent criminal offences, resulting in the deterioration of overall security in the European Union. Moreover, the availability and consumption of narcotic drugs cause immeasurable damage to individuals and society as a whole. It is precisely for these reasons that the EU Security Union Strategy recognises the fight against drugs as one of the top priorities.
In order to combat drug crimes as efficiently as possible on an operational level, the Action Plan emphasises the need to enhance cross-border cooperation and the exchange of information between police and customs services. Also essential are the roles of the health and education system and the media.
As this is an exceptionally complex and intricate issue, the Conference is intended for the general population, primarily young people, students of criminal investigation, forensic, medical, natural and educational sciences, and media representatives with the aim of raising awareness about all the harmful effects of drug abuse.
How to register?
We would like to invite everyone interested to register their attendance at the Conference by 8 October 2021 to the following e-mail address: KoBE@mup.hr. The following information is required for registration: First and last name, occupation, information on the institution or the employer (optional), and title of the Conference. A link for your participation in the Conference will be sent to the e-mail address in your registration immediately prior to the start of the Conference.
Event report
Conclusions from the Conference on drugs, 15 October 2021 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Within the framework of the Conference “Criminal, health and international aspects of combating drug abuse in Croatia and the European Union”, the issue of drug crime was viewed as a transnational and transcultural global phenomenon with significant negative security and public health consequences. Given that this is a highly complex issue, the only way to adequately address it is to take an interdisciplinary approach. It is for this reason that this Conference was also attended by the representatives of the National Police Office for Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime as the organisational unit of the Ministry of the Interior that is in charge of dealing with the most serious forms of crime, as well as representatives of the Forensic Science Centre “Ivan Vučetić” of the Ministry of the Interior, representatives of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, EUROPOL, Customs Administration, and health institutions. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ All participants agreed that the Croatian national system for combating drug abuse is yielding positive results, but it must keep up with the trends and the particular ways in which criminal groups operate. As these constantly evolve, the system must also develop new ways of preventing drug crimes. This approach to drug crime must also be taken on the EU level. If we fail to do so, it is a realistic possibility that the drug market develops to the point where it becomes a serious economic and political problem. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Emphasis is increasingly placed on modern technology as one of the mechanisms for combating drug crime, which makes it easier to monitor the activities of criminal groups in cyberspace, or, more precisely in the dark web. Europol has recognised that Croatian police have been producing impressive results in this regard, as there has been a visible “shift” from classic criminal investigation to investigation that is carried out with the use of hi-tech tools. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ At the same time, technological tools have helped the Customs Administration in detecting an increased number of drug smugglers at airports who are trying to enter the Republic of Croatia after ingesting drug packages. They mostly attempt to smuggle cocaine from countries in South America. Cocaine has become the drug of choice among European users, turning Europe into the top destination for its smuggling. This situation has compromised the security in certain Member States where criminal groups are known to, for example, blackmail port workers to clear the containers with cocaine for shipping. On the other hand, experts have reported that Europe is the greatest global manufacturer and exporter of synthetic drugs (amphetamine, LSD), for which there is now, after a period of stagnation, once again increased demand. When it comes to heroin, which mostly arrives in Europe from countries in central Asia (primarily Afghanistan), there has been some decrease in demand, but the consequences that this drug has on persons and society are so severe that it must be combated with the same intensity. Given the global character of the drug market, international police and customs cooperation and efficient exchange of information are absolutely essential in its suppression. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The discussion at the Conference showed that drug crime should be treated as a severe and complex public health and security challenge and that there is still not enough attention paid to this issue on the EU level. This might be due to the fact that drugs now seem to be everywhere and this is simply accepted. Even though they do not elicit the same response from the media and the public as some other type of threats such as, for example, terrorist attacks, it must be kept in mind that, by comparison, drugs in Europe take infinitely more lives every year. It is therefore more than justified that the European Commission has recognised drug crime as a priority in its Communication on the EU Security Union Strategy 2020-2025. This Conference was an important step towards raising awareness about this issue and an incentive to take decisive action not only on the national level, but also on the level of the entire European Union. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In recognition of this fact, the Government of the Republic of Croatia has set up a Committee for Combating Drug Abuse chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior dr. sc. Davor Božinović. Recently, at its first session, the Committee expressed its support for the new strategic documents - the National Strategy on combating drug abuse 2021-2030 and the accompanying Action Plan 2021-2025 which should be adopted very soon. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Finally, efforts will be invested to encourage additional projects with EU funds, which would be aimed at combating drugs, including projects related to police and customs cooperation. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20 women and 20 men participated in the Conference, most of them middle-aged adults.Related Ideas
Ending the war on drug users in the EU
Share:
Share link:
Please paste this code in your page:
<script src="https://futureu.europa.eu/processes/ValuesRights/f/11/meetings/42572/embed.js"></script>
<noscript><iframe src="https://futureu.europa.eu/processes/ValuesRights/f/11/meetings/42572/embed.html" frameborder="0" scrolling="vertical"></iframe></noscript>
Report inappropriate content
Is this content inappropriate?
- Call us 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11
- Use other telephone options
- Write to us via our contact form
- Meet us at a local EU office
- European Parliament
- European Council
- Council of the European Union
- European Commission
- Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)
- European Central Bank (ECB)
- European Court of Auditors (ECA)
- European External Action Service (EEAS)
- European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
- European Committee of the Regions (CoR)
- European Investment Bank (EIB)
- European Ombudsman
- European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS)
- European Data Protection Board
- European Personnel Selection Office
- Publications Office of the European Union
- Agencies
1 comment
Für Bürgerfreiheiten eintreten
Loading comments ...