Activites

• 1998/10/26 Final act published in Official Journal
• 1998/10/06 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T4-0545/1998 summary

    In adopting the report by Mrs Hedy d'ANCONA (PSE, NL), the European Parliament made a series of recommendations to the Council in connection with the extraordinary session of the UN General Assembly on Drugs (UNGASS). Parliament firstly recognised that drug policies should be based on the idea that drug addiction was not only the consequence of individual choices but was also fomented by social conditions. It was necessary, therefore, to link the fight against poverty, unemployment and social injustice to the problems of both drug addiction and the production of illegal drugs. The campaign against drugs must not be reduced to a simple matter of granting funds, and the fight against drugs could not be conducted only at police and judiciary level. Parliament called for new programmes to be introduced before 2003 with the aim of reducing demand for drugs and preventing money laundering. It called for priority to be assigned to the policy issue of new synthetic drugs and for the threat of organised crime with regard to drug trafficking to be addressed. It called on the Council to base European drugs policy, at national and international level, on stepping up and improving cooperation between States, regions and towns. For their part, States should assign priority to policies to reduce both demand and health risks. Member States should also develop cooperation with regard to research into the biological, medical and socioeconomic impact of drug addiction and its effects on human health and life expectancy. It called on Member States to recognise the discrepancy between legislation on dangerous drug consumption and practical compliance with such legislation. Accordingly, it called for research into the extent to which these differences were compatible with respect for the international conventions on drugs which they had ratified. Parliament called on them to recognise the value of a balance between an idealised conception of a drug-free society and the positive impact of a pragmatic attitude. Parliament considered that national, urban and regional projects on the diminution of health risks, the reduction of demand for drugs and rehabilitation of drug addicts should be analysed to find out whether they could provide new methods to curb the problems involving drugs. As regards developing countries, it called for local communities to participate in planning initiatives for the reduction of drug consumption. Parliament called on the Member States to ensure that the right to adequate medical treatment, nursing, care and relevant rehabilitation also applied without exception to those dependent on drugs. These measures, which should be taken by health and nursing and social services working in cooperation with each other, should be controlled by persons with medical competence and aim to make the addict free of any dependence. Parliament urged the Council to make more funds available for the prevention and control of the demand for drugs as well as to control supply and for information and education addressed particularly to young people, families and the groups most affected by the problem of drug dependence. It called for a harm-reduction policy to be adopted in each Member State, as well as policies for the improvement of health and support for therapeutic communities for those dependent on drugs. Parliament called for more funds to be made available for detoxification, rehabilitation and other healthcare facilities for those dependent on drugs, with the aim of a drug-free life. It called on Member States to adopt a common methodology and indicators relating to drug supply and demand. It stressed the importance of making money laundering a criminal offence, since the more penalties there were, the easier it would be to trace money derived from criminal sources and to establish the necessary international cooperation. The Union should coordinate its anti-drugs activities more effectively with those of the relevant UN bodies. Parliament called for the European monitoring centre for drugs and drug abuse (EMCDDA) to step up its research in the field of the control and reduction of the supply of drugs. The REITOX network should be extended to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Cyprus.�

• 1998/10/05 Debate in Parliament
• #2104
• 1998/06/08 Council Meeting
• #2099
• 1998/05/28 Council Meeting
  • 2099
• 1998/05/25 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0211/1998
• 1998/02/20 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1998/01/15 Debate in Parliament
  • A4-0359/1997
• 1998/01/08 Non-legislative basic document published
  • COM(1997)0670 summary

    OBJECTIVE: establishing the position of the European Union for the special session of the UN General Assembly on International Cooperation on the Fight Against Drugs (UNGASS). SUBSTANCE: the aim of the communication is, in consultation with and between the Member States, to help prepare the EU position for the special session of the UNGASS to be held on 8-10 June 1998. following the international conferences on sustainable development centred on mankind (Rio, Vienna, Cairo, Beijing and Copenhagen). The communication commences with a number of general observations outlining the international situation with regard to the use of drugs, indicating that the economic costs of drug abuse in OECD countries, including expenditure on law enforcement and prevention programmes currently amount to about $120 billion per year, while the estimated drug profits are between $300 and $500 billion (approximately equal to the total GNP of the African continent). The situation has not become any better since 1990 when the United Nations formally decided to address the issue. The production and consumption of drugs have steadily increased. Furthermore, the old between producing trafficking distinction is becoming blurred and improved communications are making deliveries and financial transactions easier and cheaper than ever. Responsibility itself will be shared at international level for taking the necessary measures. The Union alone cannot hope to respond effectively to the human and financial problems created by drugs trafficking. Its objective is therefore to propose a 'realistic' strategy for the UNGASS based on three major objectives. 1) consolidation and practical implementation of the principle of co-responsibility between producers, consumers and traffickers. 2) ensuring that throughout UN member countries efforts are focused on measures to combat drug trafficking, which should be a key area of policy making. 3) achievement of policy advances on areas in which the Union has already reached a degree of consensus. For this purpose, the Union wishes to achieve an agreement within the UN concerning a reduction in demand ('guiding principles of drug demand reduction'). In the Commission's view, such a declaration would be a major innovation compared with other UN conventions in this area. Progress must also be made in combating the new threats posed by synthetic drugs, money laundering (in particular 'safe havens'), control of chemical precursors, etc. In addition to this joint position, the communication sets out the Union's specific priorities in this field, centring on demand reduction, (the Union's top priority, spearheading its entire strategy), synthetic drugs, alternative development, its move from production system (based on illicit cultivation towards a licit one, money laundering and judicial cooperation. �

• #2057
• 1997/12/08 Council Meeting
  • 2057
• #2055
• 1997/12/04 Council Meeting
  • 2055
• 1997/11/03 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading

Documents

• Debate in Council: 2055
• Debate in Council: 2057
• Non-legislative basic document published: COM(1997)0670
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: A4-0359/1997
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A4-0211/1998
• Debate in Council: 2099
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0545/1998

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)