Resolution on narco-trafficking in Europe’s waters: protecting our borders and supporting our law enforcement officers

The European Parliament adopted by 601 votes to 4, with 5 abstentions, a resolution on narco-trafficking in Europe’s waters: protecting our borders and supporting our law enforcement officers.

The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, ECR, Renew, Greens/EFA and The Left groups.

Europe is a major destination and consumer market for illicit drugs, generating a multi-billion-euro market involving drug-trafficking networks, mafias and criminal or terrorist organisations from within and outside Europe. Recent attacks and deaths linked to drug trafficking in several EU Member States, including Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy, underscore the need to increase resources and operational assets at EU level.

Parliament deeply condemned the attacks and regretted the loss of lives of all direct and indirect victims of drug trafficking in the EU. It strongly condemned the activities of criminal networks involved in drug trafficking, which undermine public security, fuel violence and corruption, and threaten the health and well-being of EU citizens. The Commission and the Member States are urged to reinforce law enforcement and judicial capabilities through increased funding, operational support and enhanced resources and support for specialised law enforcement and judicial agencies and bodies dedicated to combating drug trafficking.

Furthermore, the resolution stressed the need to strengthen cooperation and information exchange between customs, law enforcement, judicial and administrative authorities, and called on the Commission to ensure the necessary framework to support these efforts. While recognising the high-risk nature of the duties performed by police officers, border and customs officials and other frontline law enforcement personnel involved in combating drug trafficking, Parliament called for these duties to be recognised and classified as high-risk occupations in the EU.

The resolution called on EU-level dialogue among Member States on the operational challenges faced by law enforcement during maritime pursuits, with a view to sharing best practices on the safe and effective interception and neutralisation of vessels.

Parliament noted that particular attention should be paid to the EU’s outermost regions, whose geographical location leaves them especially exposed and vulnerable to the drug trafficking phenomenon. It also urged Frontex, EMSA, Eurojust and Europol to strengthen joint activities in EU waters and cooperation with the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N), including through enhanced real-time coordination and intelligence-sharing.

The resolution called for adequate resources to implement the EU ports strategy, the EU drugs strategy and the action plan against drug trafficking 2026–2030, and for stronger cooperation between Member States, EU agencies, civil society, international partners and the private sector through the European Ports Alliance. It called for training, prevention and protection measures to put in place for port workers and called for cooperation with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) to expand specialised training programmes for law-enforcement authorities, enhance expertise in tackling drug-related organised crime, and promote the exchange of best practices across Member States.

Lastly, Parliament called for stronger action against corruption, money laundering and illicit financial flows linked to drug trafficking, including through European banking and financial systems, and for greater transparency and accountability around networks facilitating the circumvention of controls at major European ports. It called on the Member States to strengthen the identification, freezing, seizure and confiscation of assets linked to drug trafficking and organised crime to ensure that criminal proceeds are effectively traced, seized and ultimately confiscated.

Text adopted by Parliament, single reading