Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset today called for stronger cooperation across Europe to tackle drug trafficking and addiction, bringing together law enforcement, early prevention, treatment and social reintegration.
Speaking at the High-level International Meeting of the European Coalition Against Drugs (ECAD) at the San Patrignano Community in Coriano (Italy), he said drug policies differ, but they rest on "a common foundation: health, safety and dignity for every person."
The meeting was opened by Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic. Together with Secretary General Berset, speakers at the introductory session included Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, Minister with responsibility for Citizenship, attached to the Minister of the Interior of France, Jennifer Murnane O´Connor, Irish Minister of State the Department of Health representing the EU Council Presidency, and Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration.
Drug policy and democratic security
Secretary General Berset said that tackling drugs is also a matter of security. Traffickers, he warned, do not need to defeat a state; they need only make people stop trusting it. "Preventing this is part of what the Council of Europe calls democratic security - the point where law enforcement, prevention and recovery meet", he said.
"The traffickers are counting on us to be slower than they are", he argued, urging governments and the Coalition to cooperate further at the speed the threats demand.
The Council of Europe's approach to drug policy - he stressed - draws on its common legal space, including the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights and related standards and monitoring mechanisms. "The approach is clear. Law enforcement that is tough on traffickers, prevention that reaches young people early. Recovery that ends in reintegration", he said.
Tackling trafficking and its proceeds
The Secretary General pointed out the importance of the European Court of Human Rights' case law on the interception of ships, given the prominence of maritime routes in drug trafficking. Council of Europe member states draw on this case law to develop guidance for police and prosecutors.
He also highlighted the new Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe's Warsaw Convention, opened for signature on 14 October, which strengthens states' capacity to confiscate the proceeds of crime and encourages them to use confiscated assets for social benefit, including recovery from drug addiction.
Prevention that reaches people early
Berset called for prevention strategies that identify risks in time. He explained Council of Europe´s work in helping national observatories detect the risks related to new drugs and work in progress to develop practical tools for teachers, parents and social workers, as well as guidance to governments on how to tackle online addictions.
Putting people at the centre of recovery
"The addiction policies that work put the person at the centre, with realism, humanity and responsibility", he stressed, and focusing on individuals' potential. He described treatment as the first step towards recovery, followed by access to a home, education and work. "Recovery is the work of society as a whole", he underlined, while highlighting that the Council of Europe's European Social Charter is built on that idea.
San Patrignano Community
During the event, the Secretary General visited the San Patrignano community, which he first visited in March 2026. The rehabilitation centre provides support and expert guidance to people suffering from drug addiction and marginalisation.
The Council of Europe has been a member of the European Coalition against drugs since it was launched by Italy and France during a European Political Community summit in Copenhagen in 2025.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of a European Coalition Against Drugs Final Declaration.
