Brussels, Belgium, June 2026 – Mayors and elected officials from a dozen European cities, including Amsterdam (Netherlands), Barcelona (Spain), Brussels (Belgium), Fort-de-France (France), Gdańsk (Poland), Liège (Belgium), Lisbon (Portugal) and Turin (Italy), as well as the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region (France), officially signed their commitment to the Coalition of the willing – against drug-related violence and trafficking, in Brussels, on 17 June.
The coalition seeks to share inspiring practices, draw up common responses, and make the voice of local authorities heard at the national and European level with the objective of better preventing drug- and addiction-related violence, protecting citizens, and supporting cross-cutting policies.
Cities are innovating
For Willy Demeyer, President of Efus and Mayor of Liège (Belgium), the issue of drugs must be addressed in a comprehensive and integrated manner by opening up the debate on entry into drug use, the fight against corruption and money laundering, and by not overlooking the management of drugs and their production.
On a day-to-day basis, cities are innovating with multidisciplinary approaches that enable:
- the use of administrative means to curb money laundering (closing down establishments, town planning, etc.)
- the creation of a safer public environment through harm reduction measures designed in consultation with residents
- social prevention to reduce the onset of drug use and support families.
“The Coalition of the Willing has a simple aim: to bring together cities, regions and their partners to better understand these phenomena, develop practical solutions and strengthen local authorities’ action,” said Mr Demeyer. “But we also carry a message of hope: we are not doomed to simply endure these challenges. Across Europe, cities are taking action, innovating and achieving results. By bringing them together, we want to demonstrate that collective action remains our greatest strength in the face of challenges that are beyond the capacity of any single entity.”
Mobilising all stakeholders
For Philippe Close, Mayor of Brussels, cities play a central role in preventing and reducing violence linked to drug trafficking and the harm caused by addiction. Because they are closest to the realities on the ground, they are able to mobilise all the relevant stakeholders – the police, the justice system, health services, the voluntary sector, educators and residents – to provide concrete solutions tailored to the needs of local neighbourhoods.
For Efus, this ability to bring together different stakeholders makes cities genuine laboratories for public innovation, where effective responses to contemporary challenges of security and social cohesion are developed.
In response to the multiple impacts of drugs and trafficking on social cohesion in cities, Mr Close identified five priorities:
“1. Let us move beyond ideology: public policy must be based on and guided by evidence.
2. Let us recognise cities as strategic actors and fund them directly.
3. Let us invest massively in public health, as this is an investment in the resilience of society.
4. Let us move away from stigmatisation and treat drug use as a public health issue.
5. Follow the money: the fight against money laundering by criminal organisations is a battle for democracy and the rule of law.”
The crucial challenge of youth prevention
The mayors and regional elected officials who spoke at the conference all highlighted the importance of youth prevention, including among young teenagers. Maria Luísa Aldim, Deputy Mayor of Lisbon (Portugal), said that young people from a deprived neighbourhood of Lisbon had told her that they were not looking up to football star Cristiano Ronaldo anymore, but were dreaming of becoming a drug honcho. “I was shocked when they told me this, not only as Deputy Mayor, but also as a citizen and a mother. We must urgently stop this. We need more integrated, pragmatic and people-centred approach in European cities. Prevention must be a clear priority, notably among young people, with strengthened cooperation between schools, health, notably mental health, law and Justice.”
Didier Laguerre, Mayor of Fort-de-France (Martinique, France), a Caribbean region increasingly used by organised crime as a hub for shipping drugs produced in Latin America to Europe, emphasised just how much such trafficking undermines social cohesion. “The answer lies in comprehensive prevention, particularly among young people, to offer them an alternative model and a different kind of hope to the social status promised by drug traffickers. We must deconstruct the ‘bad boy’ stereotype with the support of grassroots organisations and all stakeholders, particularly those in the health sector, including mental health services”.
A day for sharing experiences and inspiring practices
The signing ceremony for the Coalition of the Willing – against drug-related violence and trafficking took place during the conference Cities and drugs: towards local governance balancing security, health and social cohesion, organised by Efus together with the city of Brussels and with the support of the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA).
The conference brought together more than 150 participants, including representatives of European local authorities, high-ranking delegates from the European Commission and EUDA, as well as representatives of civil society, experts and technicians. Discussions focused on the practical measures and strategies implemented by local authorities to prevent and combat violence linked to drugs and drug trafficking, and on the need to strengthen cooperation between the local and European levels.
Photo: The signing of the Coalition of the willing, 17 June 2026, Brussels. From left to right: Piotr Borawski, Deputy Mayor of Gdańsk (Poland), Véronique Borré, Vice-President of the Alpes-Côte-d’Azur Region (France), Maria Luísa Aldim, Deputy Mayor of Lisbon (Portugal), Marco Porcedda, Councillor for Law and Security, Turin City Council (Italy), Willy Demeyer, President of Efus and Mayor of Liège (Belgium), Philippe Close, Mayor of Brussels (Belgium), Paulo Maia, City Councillor for Setúbal (Portugal), Didier Laguerre, Mayor of Fort-de-France (France), and Elizabeth Johnston, Executive Director of the European Forum for Urban Security.
> More information on the Coalition of the willing – against drug-related violence and trafficking
> The replay and the documents presented at the conference are available for Efus members here – The conference programme is here
> More information on Efus’ work on the issue of drugs
