Drug-related violence: exploring its manifestations, drivers and impacts
Description
The first European Conference on Drug-Related Violence, co-organised by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and the European Commission, brought together policymakers, practitioners, civil society and researchers from across Europe to explore the complex interplay between drug markets and violence. Held in Brussels in November 2024, the conference provided a unique platform for knowledge exchange, evidence sharing and collaborative discussion on how to better understand, monitor and respond to drug-related violence in the EU.
Plenary session 1: Drug-related violence: exploring its manifestations, drivers and impacts
Chair: Roumen Sedefov, Head of unit, Risks to public safety and security, EUDA
Co-Chair: Andrew Cunningham, Head of sector, Markets, crime and supply reduction, EUDA
Speakers:
- Marieke Liem, Professor of Violence and Interventions at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University, Netherlands
- Frédérique Camilleri, Prefect of Essonne, France
- Alba Alfageme, Head of the Cabinet of Security and Transversal Policies, Government of Catalonia, Spain
Moderator: Florence Ranson
This opening plenary of the European Conference on Drug-Related Violence laid the foundation for a comprehensive and cross-sectoral discussion on the drivers, manifestations and impacts of drug-related violence across Europe. The session introduced the objectives of the conference and featured high-level contributions from political leaders, law enforcement officials and academics.
Key themes included the need for evidence-based frameworks, the local impact of violence and drug markets and the importance of integrated responses. Speakers addressed conceptual and operational approaches to understanding drug-related violence, shared insights from city-level and national experiences and reflected on the gender and community dimensions of the phenomenon.
