European Interest

Parliament: Towards an EU Drugs Agency

FLICKR/MARCO VERCH/CC BY 2.0

The Civil Liberties Committee has endorsed the provisional deal from inter-institutional negotiations on creating an EU Drugs Agency.

With 53 votes in favour, 1 against, and 0 abstaining, MEPs on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs have endorsed a provisional deal with the Council on creating an EU Drugs Agency by extending the powers of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

The Agency would monitor drug-related phenomena, assess health and security risks, draft early warnings of new substances, set up an EU drug alert system, collaborate with national focal points, and maintain dialogue with civil society actors, among other tasks.

The agreement still needs to be formally adopted by the plenary of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. Once published in the official journal of the EU, it will enter into force the following day, and its provisions will be applied 12 months later.

Explore more