Distinguished Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, San Marino, Serbia, and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.

The EU and its Member States would like to reiterate their support to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). It has an important role in supporting Governments in relation to the three international drug control conventions. We welcome its annual report 2024 and appreciate the new format aiming to improve the accessibility of the findings and recommendations. We also welcome the thematic focus of the thematic chapter of this year’s report on possible responses to the rapid expansion of the illicit synthetic drug industry, which represents a major global public health threat, and is a matter of concern for the EU and its Member States. 

We value the work of the INCB in all areas of its mandate, including INCB’s focus on human rights, which is in line with the EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan 2021-2025 and our human rights-based approach in drug policies[1]. The EU and its Member States therefore particularly welcome the INCB’s consultation with Member States on the human rights dimensions of the drug control conventions, held last November. It highlighted the complementarity of drug conventions and human rights instruments. The consultation addressed several topics that are important to the EU and its Member States, such as the right to health, harm reduction, criminal justice responses, access to medical care and medication in emergency situations, specific needs of women and children, and non-discrimination. We look forward to continued exchanges and stand ready to contribute to these topics in the future.

We also welcome the statement by the President of the International Narcotics Control Board, Mr Jallal Toufiq, for the Human Rights Day on 10 December, emphasising that respect for human rights is a prerequisite for the implementation of the international drug control conventions, and reiterating the call of the INCB for human rights to be respected in the development and implementation of drug policy. We continue to strongly support INCB’s opposition to the death penalty for drug-related offences. The EU and its Member States are unequivocally opposed to the use of the death penalty at all times and under all circumstances, including for drug-related offences.

The EU and its Member States appreciate the focus of INCB on access to and availability of controlled medicines and the practical tools it has developed to facilitate the international trade in internationally controlled narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances to ensure their availability for medical and scientific purposes. This is a topic that is also important to the EU and its Member States and which was addressed in the resolution on ensuring access to and availability of controlled medicines for medical and scientific purposes, including for the treatment of children, tabled by Belgium on behalf of the EU during the 67th session of the CND. 

Concerning drug precursors, the European Union reaffirms its support for the activities of the INCB. We particularly commend the recent “Operation Pseudonym” which focused on ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine as well as the surveys conducted to raise awareness among competent authorities about available tools on drug precursors.

Following the proactive scheduling of 16 amphetamine-type stimulant designer precursors in 2023, the European Union did not detect any new designer precursors related to amphetamine-type stimulants in 2024. The INCB's forward-looking recommendations have placed drug precursor control and legislation ahead of criminal activities. This shift marked a significant change from a reactive to a proactive strategy by anticipating new substances that could be utilised in the illicit production of synthetic drugs.

In light of this, it is increasingly crucial that the INCB continues to evaluate other potential derivatives and related chemicals that may be used in the illicit manufacture of drugs, with the aim of future proactive scheduling. Additionally, the INCB should persist in exploring innovative methods for scheduling designer precursors at the international level.

Mr Chair,

To conclude, we would like to assure the INCB of the support of the EU and its Member States and of our commitment to working together. We also look forward to enhancing our cooperation, including by increased collaboration with the EU Drugs Agency in the area of drug precursors.

Thank you very much.

[1]           Title of Council conclusions 2022 (ST 15818/33)