The EUDA and the Polish Police Central Bureau of Investigation are co-hosting an expert workshop this week in Warsaw to address emerging challenges related to synthetic cathinones.
This two-day event brings together law enforcement and forensic experts from 10 EU Member States and three partner countries from the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)-East area: Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine. Participants will share information on drug markets related to the distribution and supply of synthetic cathinones and will identify areas for future collaboration. Visits to the Central Forensic Laboratory of the Polish Police and to a training Centre in Legionowo are also on the agenda.
The workshop aims to enhance law enforcement and forensic cooperation between the EU and ENP-East countries in addressing the emerging issue of synthetic cathinone production and trafficking. It is organised in the framework of EMPACT (1) and is supported by the EU4Monitoring Drugs II (EU4MD II) project, funded by the European Union (2).
In recent years, the EU has seen the rapid spread of synthetic cathinones, which pose a serious risk to public health and safety. Evidence suggests that large-scale production of these substances is increasingly taking place within the EU. In 2023, 53 synthetic cathinone production sites, some of which were large-scale, were dismantled in the EU (29 in 2022), mainly in Poland (see news release). The substances also continue to enter the EU from external sources.
Criminal groups are constantly exploring new regions as transit and production hubs, particularly in the Eastern Partnership countries. Strengthened international cooperation is therefore critical to prevent further escalation of crime related to these substances.
This milestone meeting, which brings together EU and ENP experts, underscores the EUDA’s commitment to strengthening preparedness for drug-related security threats in the EU and its neighbours and supports implementation of the EUDA International Cooperation Framework. The framework, adopted in June this year, provides the overarching structure for the EUDA’s engagement with global and regional partners, promoting knowledge-exchange, mutual learning and capacity-building beyond the EU.
