EU: Update of the EU drug precursor list 

 

The EU Comisson has published an update of the EU drug precursor list. 

The initiative aligns with the European Commission’s 2025 Work Programme under the “Security” priority and builds on the Drugs Package adopted on 4 December 2025 to address illicit drug production. This package includes both the EU Action Plan against Drug Trafficking and a proposal for a new regulation on drug precursors (COM(2025) 747 final). 

This proposal focuses on strengthening controls over chemical substances and mixtures that may be used in the illicit production of drugs. It is intended to replace the current regulatory framework, which has been in place for over 20 years, following the conclusion of ongoing negotiations between the EU’s legislative institutions. 

A central objective of the proposal is to introduce a more proactive approach to addressing designer drug precursors—chemical substances with no known legitimate use beyond research and development. Despite broader legislative reforms, there remains an urgent need to respond to the growing use of these substances and to bring known designer precursors under existing control mechanisms. 

In this context, the proposed delegated regulation seeks to expand existing controls to include 148 additional substances identified as designer precursors. These substances were identified and listed by the Netherlands, where they are already prohibited at national level. The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) has confirmed that these substances pose a high risk of being used in the illicit manufacture of drugs. To support evidence collection, the full list of substances is available here: https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/2ea80240-1840-4661-91d6-3380b450b46e_en?filename=List%20of%20substances%20identified%20as%20designer%20precursors.pdf 

The initiative is consistent with recommendations from the UN International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) on the proactive scheduling of designer precursors and reinforces the EU’s efforts to reduce drug supply. It also supports Action 13 of the EU Action Plan against Drug Trafficking, which aims to close legal loopholes related to designer precursors. 

More specifically, the initiative targets the increasing proliferation of designer precursors. These substances are deliberately engineered variations of scheduled drug precursors that fall outside existing control frameworks, making them attractive to criminal networks. Their growing use presents a significant challenge to EU security and to current drug precursor control systems. 

Designer precursors are primarily used in the illicit production of synthetic drugs, including amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and synthetic cathinones. Under the current regulatory framework, 29 designer precursors are already subject to control measures.