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The emergence of the European Coalition Against Drugs marks an important step in defining a unified approach to the fight against drug trafficking and addiction. The initiative, promoted by the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni and the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, was presented in Copenhagen during the European Political Community (EPC) Summit. The Coalition’s objective is twofold: on the one hand, to strengthen international cooperation in combating drug trafficking, including new-generation synthetic drugs; on the other, to promote prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation policies for those affected by addiction. The initiative aims to combine public safety and health, recognizing drug trafficking as a systemic threat not only to the security of Member States, but also to social cohesion and economic stability.
THE GENESIS OF THE ITALIAN-FRENCH INITIATIVE
Italy and France have shared close bilateral collaboration for years in the fields of security, intelligence, and the fight against transnational organized crime. This cooperation, already consolidated in the fields of terrorism and human trafficking, has found strategic convergence in the issue of drug trafficking, further fostered by the growing hybridization of criminal networks employing more and more sophisticated operational methods, routes, and technologies. The initiative, therefore, represents not only a response to an urgent need, but also the political formalization of a process of operational integration between the two countries, now extended to the European framework to guide EU policies and stimulate joint action in the fight against drugs.
EUROPEAN MEMBERSHIP
Over thirty European leaders, representing EU Member States and countries associated with the European Political Community, have joined the Coalition. This level of membership demonstrates the transversal nature of the problem, along with the awareness that no state can independently address a phenomenon that transcends national borders. The document signed by the participants was also ratified by the European Commission and Council, confirming the institutional nature of the initiative and its integration into the EU legal framework. The text identifies a series of strategic priorities, including judicial and police cooperation, strengthened control of maritime and port routes, preventive healthcare and, above all, full implementation of the “follow the money” principle.
DRUG TRAFFICKING AS A SYSTEMIC THREAT
The Coalition’s founding document defines drug trafficking as one of the main systemic threats to security, public health and the protection of European citizens. Drug trafficking is no longer considered merely a criminal or public order problem, but a structural phenomenon that impacts the integrity of institutions, the legal economy and fundamental rights. From this perspective, the Coalition adopts a vision that integrates the repressive, preventive and social dimensions. On the one hand, the need for defensive and offensive strategies against trafficking networks is recognized through investigative cooperation and the sharing of operational data; on the other, the urgent need for targeted healthcare policies to reduce demand and promote reintegration is emphasized.
“FOLLOW THE MONEY”
The theoretical and operational core of the entire Coalition is the principle of “follow the money.” This approach, originally developed in the anti-mafia and anti-money laundering fields, is based on the idea that the most effective way to disrupt criminal organizations is not just to target individual crimes, but to trace, seize, and confiscate financial flows. The Coalition’s operational document envisions this principle as a central plank of judicial and investigative cooperation. The goal is to create a European financial intelligence network capable of monitoring suspicious movements, blocking illicit transactions and expediting asset confiscation procedures. The “follow the money” approach also entails a shift in epistemological paradigm: the fight against drugs is no longer based exclusively on the criminal prosecution of individual behaviour, but on a systemic analysis of the economic and financial mechanisms that support the illegal market.
THE OPERATIONAL DIMENSION
In addition to financial counteraction, the Coalition identifies the surveillance of ports and maritime routes as another strategic pillar. Drug trafficking, especially cocaine and synthetic drugs, has been exploiting major European port hubs such as Rotterdam, Antwerp, Marseille and Gioia Tauro for years, which are prime entry points for cargo from Latin America, West Africa and the Middle East. The common strategy calls for coordinated intelligence and customs control efforts, based on the sharing of operational information and the use of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT). This represents Europol’s main cooperation tool and enables interconnection between police forces, judicial authorities and financial agencies of the various Member States.
HEALTH AND SOCIAL COMPONENTS
In addition to counteraction measures, the Coalition recognizes the centrality of the health dimension. The promoters emphasize that drug policies can produce lasting results only if accompanied by prevention, treatment and harm reduction actions. The initiative promotes European rehabilitation and reintegration projects, in collaboration with EU institutions and relevant international organizations. This multidisciplinary perspective aims to reduce drug demand and foster social inclusion, placing public health at the centre of anti-drug policies. The healthcare dimension thus takes on a structural prevention function: not only does it address consumption, but it also aims to break the vicious cycle of marginalization, addiction and crime. This approach, consistent with World Health Organization and UN guidelines, gives the Coalition an integrated profile that transcends the traditional dichotomy between repression and treatment.
BUILDING A EUROPEAN MODEL
The European Coalition Against Drugs aims to be a political and institutional laboratory for the construction of a European model of drug governance. The simultaneous membership of Member States and supranational institutions demonstrates the desire to overcome the regulatory and operational fragmentation that has characterized drug policies for years. Through the coordination of the EPC, the aim is to define common standards of intervention, shared intelligence procedures and uniform mechanisms for the seizure and confiscation of assets. Each State retains its operational sovereignty, but within a binding and transparent cooperation framework.
ECONOMIC AND GEOPOLITICAL IMPLICATIONS
Europe represents one of the most profitable consumer markets in the world, and the proceeds of drug trafficking fuel money laundering networks that intertwine with legal sectors such as construction, logistics, and offshore finance. Targeting economic flows means addressing the financial sustainability of criminal networks and, indirectly, the systems of corruption and infiltration that threaten economic and institutional transparency. In geopolitical terms, the Coalition strengthens Europe’s role as a global player in the fight against illegal economies, engaging in dialogue with major international organizations and drug-producing regions.
TOWARDS A NEW EUROPEAN CULTURE OF LEGALITY
The creation of the European Coalition against Drugs – an absolute novelty in this field – represents a historic step in the construction of a common policy to combat criminal economies and protect public health. The Italian-French initiative, later expanded to a continental scale, embodies a new culture of cooperation based on the integration of security, justice and healthcare. The “follow the money” principle emerges as the operational axis of the entire project: it enables the fight against drugs to be transformed into a proactive strategy, capable of dismantling criminal networks by diverting their economic resources. From this perspective, the Coalition is not just a political initiative, but a new paradigm of European governance, placing financial transparency and social responsibility at the heart of collective security. The initiative launched by Meloni and Macron in Copenhagen marks the beginning of an evolutionary phase in European drug policy, based on the interconnection between repression, prevention and economic justice.