EU moves away from US approach in the fight against drugs: “Let’s increase cooperation with Latin American countries”

Brussels – Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, was captured and put on trial before US courts on charges including, among others, “narcoterrorism.” At a time when Washington is offering the world its own version of problem-solving and law enforcement, the EU is offering another: in the face of growing drug trafficking, it intends to increase cooperation, “notably with Latin America,” emphasises the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Immigration, Magnus Brunner, responding to a question on the growth of the cocaine market in Europe.

 Brunner acknowledges that “half of the EU’s most dangerous criminal networks are involved in drug trafficking, which is
and will remain a key threat to internal security.” For this very reason, he explains, “The new (European Union) action plan against drug trafficking
aims to strengthen law enforcement and judicial cooperation efforts.” Specifically, the intention is to give a greater role to Eurojust, the European Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, and in this regard, the Commissioner for Home Affairs explains, the Commission “has started negotiations to strengthen cooperation with key third countries,” starting with those in Latin America.

 https://www.eunews.it/en/2025/06/05/cocaine-persists-as-crack-and-ketamine-spread-drug-use-grows-in-the-eu/

Looking at the timing, the question raised by the sovereignists (PfE) and Eurosceptics (ESN) is dated 28 October 2025, with Brunner’s response given on 6 January. This response fits well into the context of the US blitz in Venezuela and marks a difference between the American and European approaches to combating drugs. However, it should be noted that the Commission chose not to condemn Washington’s actions against Maduro. (“We have not discussed how to define the US action; this is not the most relevant issue,” said the chief spokesperson of the EU executive, Paula Pinho, when asked whether the US action was considered “aggression,” “conquest” or something else).

 As for drug trafficking in the EU, Brunner admits that the European Union has now become the world’s largest market for cocaine, and announces that for the year that just begun, “new rules on organised crime to dismantle criminal
networks more effectively.” Thus, in response to a specific question raised in the inquiry, he closes the door to any correlation between asylum seekers and an increase in drugs: “There is no evidence highlighting a specific link between migration and cocaine trafficking in
Europe.”