Launch of ‘Safe futures’: a project tackling the recruitment of young people into drug markets

This week, the EUDA and the University of Limerick’s REPPP team (¹) officially launched ‘Safe futures’, a project focused on identifying effective ways to prevent youth involvement in European drug markets.

The initiative responds to growing public and policy concern about the increasing recruitment and exploitation of young people by criminal drug networks across Europe. These networks often target the most vulnerable young people, leading to significant security, social and public health consequences.

Members of the University of Limerick’s REPPP team — University of Limerick’s REPPP team and EUDA experts

The two-year project brings together policymakers, researchers, law enforcement agencies and practitioners from across Europe to collaborate in a new multi-disciplinary Community of Practice conceived to share knowledge and research and inform and design future interventions in this complex policy area. This week’s meeting involved a cross-section of these groups to examine the issue across different jurisdictions, share information and begin collaborative problem-solving.

The agenda featured a dynamic mix of presentations, group work and plenary discussions designed to highlight both existing challenges and promising solutions. Participants also explored knowledge gaps and discussed next steps for the Community of Practice.

The overall purpose of the project is to enhance drug-related crime prevention efforts in Europe by:

evaluating existing models and strategies for the involvement of young people in drug markets and drug-related crime;
supporting linked networking building activities; and
identifying possible facilitators and barriers to the implementation of programmes in this area.

The project outputs are expected to contribute to a better understanding of future research, policy and developmental needs and inform future investments in this area at national and European level.

In November 2024, following the first European conference on the topic, the EUDA issued a Call to action to break the cycle of drug-related violence. This underlined the urgent need for cross-sector collaboration to ensure a safer and more secure Europe. It also stressed that targeted prevention mechanisms should focus on young people and other at-risk groups, including prevention of their recruitment into organised crime. ‘Safe futures’ responds to this call.

Notes

(¹) ‘Safe futures: Identifying promising approaches, opportunities and barriers for interventions designed to prevent youth recruitment and participation in European Drug Markets’. Project duration 24 months: December 2024-December 2026. Contract CT.24.SAS.0109.1.0 awarded to University of Limerick. The project is being led by the Research Evidence into Policy, Programmes and Practice (REPPP) team at the University on behalf of the EUDA. REPPP is a research collaboration between the School of Law in the University of Limerick and the Irish Department of Justice. Its aim is to improve the evidence base in relation to youth crime and youth justice policy and practice in Ireland.

In its fight against drug trafficking and organised crime, the European Commission’s Roadmap to Fight Drug Trafficking and Organised Crime identifies 17 actions across 4 priority areas. Priority 4 focuses on measures to: ‘prevent organised crime through exchange of best practices and guidance among Member States to prevent infiltration of these groups in the society and legal economy, prevent criminal groups to recruit youngsters and improve public safety and health, and to limit more effectively access to drug precursors’.