By Chris Jones - 25th June 2006
EU countries need to work more closely together to tackle drug use and trafficking, the European commission said on Monday.
Commission vice-president Franco Frattini said that Europe needed a strong policy against trafficking and called for “harmonisation of national laws” to tackle the drugs issue.
Frattini was speaking at the launch of a new commission initiative to widen the fight against drugs abuse by involving NGOs and other civil organisations.
The Italian justice commissioner was joined by EU foreign policy chief Benita Ferrero-Waldner and health commissioner Markos Kyprianou, with all three urging greater coordination of national drugs policies, both within the EU and beyond.
“We need more practical cooperation, such as the exchange of data or other information,” said Frattini.
“But we will fully respect the right of member states to define their own drugs policies.”
Kyprianou stressed the need for a consistent approach to tackling drug treatment and rehabilitation across the EU.
“Drug use in prisons ranges from 22 per cent to 88 per cent depending on the country and the size of the prison population,” he said.
“But only a few member states have structures in place allowing prisoners to benefit from methadone treatment and needle exchanges – even though those structures are available to drug users that are not in prison.”
Ferrero-Waldner said that the EU was investing €400m in programmes to tackle drug production and commercialisation with its trading partners.
“We need a shared responsibility, between drug producing and consuming countries,” she said.
“Two-thirds of the money invested by the EU in drug producing countries has been in programmes aimed at developing rural communities, to offer alternatives to farmers other than producing coca or opium.”
But the Austrian commissioner repeated Frattini’s calls for closer cooperation between EU countries.
“We need the cooperation of our member states, because the scourge of drugs will only go away if we all move in the same direction,” said Ferrero-Waldner.
Frattini was also pressed on the disparity between national laws on drug use, in particular his comments on claims that the Dutch authorities were preparing to allow an increase in home-grown drugs to supply the coffee-shop trade.
“The Dutch senate is currently considering this issue – the legalisation of drug production – but the commission cannot interfere in national policies on the classification and use of drugs; that was decided in 2004 by a framework agreement between the member states.”
“But I believe that member states should not produce and trade in drugs – that is my personal opinion.”
He said that the wording of the Dutch proposal, saying that large-scale production of drugs would not be permitted without approval, could be interpreted in a number of ways.
“It does not necessarily mean large-scale drug production and commercialisation – it could mean that production will be authorised only for medicinal purposes.”
“My final evaluation will depend on the concrete proposal of the Dutch parliament – I will give by formal comment when I am asked to do so.”
But he added that the commission’s strategy was aimed at reducing drug consumption, not increasing it, and that national policies that eased restrictions on drug use would send the wrong message.
“Any addictive substance should not be used, that should be the target for all of us,” Kyprianou added.
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