30 Final evaluation of the EU Action
Plan on drugs 2000-2004
| (26129)
14322/04
COM(04) 707
| Commission Communication on the results of the final evaluation of the EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan on Drugs (2000-2004)
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| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 22 October 2004
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| Deposited in Parliament | 16 November 2004
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| Department | Home Office |
| Basis of consideration | EM of 25 November 2004
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| Previous Committee Report | None; but see (23958) 13853/02: HC 63-vi (2002-03), para 12 (8 January 2003)
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| Discussed in Council | Presented to the Council on 25 October 2004
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
30.1 The EU Action Plan on Drugs 2000-04 set out measures to counteract
both the demand and supply of drugs within the Community. It was
based on the Drugs Strategy agreed in December 1999 at the Helsinki
European Council. The Action Plan contained about a hundred actions
for Member States, the Commission, the European Monitoring Centre
for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Europol to take. In
November 2002, the Commission presented a mid-term evaluation
of the Action Plan.[66]
30.2 Article 152 of the Treaty establishing the European
Community provides for the Community to complement the action
of Member States to reduce drug-related damage to human health
and to encourage cooperation between Member States for that purpose.
Member States are to coordinate their activities and the Commission
is to promote such coordination. The Community and Member States
are also to foster cooperation with third countries and international
organisations in the interests of public health.
30.3 Articles 29 and 31 of the Treaty on European
Union provide for police and judicial cooperation to combat crime,
including illicit trafficking in drugs.
The document
30.4 The document comprises:
- a summary of the achievements
of the pre-enlargement Member States (the EU 15) and the Commission;
matters on which further action is necessary; the conclusions
of the final evaluation; and proposals for the future;
- annex 1 — a summary of the responses to
the questionnaire sent to the EU 15 Member States in November
2003 about their implementation of the Action Plan;
- annex 2 — a summary of the responses of
the Commission, the EMCDDA and Europol to a similar questionnaire;
and
- annex 3 — a list of the EU instruments
on drugs (including Regulations, Directives, Decisions, Resolutions
and agreement with third countries) adopted between January 2000
and the end of July 2004; and a list of proposed instruments still
being negotiated.
30.5 The main conclusions of the final evaluation
are as follows:
i) about 95% of the actions included in the EU
Action Plan on Drugs have been or are being implemented;
ii) almost all of the EU 15 Member States have
adopted a national drugs strategy or action plan;
iii) no strong evidence exists that there has
been a significant reduction in the availability of drugs or that
fewer young people are using drugs; and
iv) a number of important initiatives have been
taken to combat both money laundering and the illicit diversion
of precursor chemicals.
30.6 The Commission makes the following main proposals:
i) the EU Drugs Strategy for the future should
contain objectives and priorities that can be turned into operational
indicators and actions in Action Plans;
ii) further improvements are required in the
production of comparable and reliable monitoring information about
drugs;
iii) the Commission should shortly propose an
Action Plan for Drugs 2005-08, organise an impact assessment of
it in 2008 and then propose an Action Plan for 2009-12; and
iv) the objectives of the new Drugs Strategy
and Action Plans should be reflected in the Justice and Home Affairs
work programme for the next five years.
The Government's view
30.7 The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at
the Home Office (Caroline Flint) tells us that:
"The Government agrees with the Commission's
recommendations. We have thought for some time that the Action
Plan was deficient in that it was too much of a list of everything
that Member States and the EU corporately should do about drugs
and not enough of an action plan proper that set out specific
actions by particular entities within specified timeframes. Those
weaknesses are being addressed in the new EU Drugs Strategy 2005-2012."[67]
Conclusion
30.8 It is regrettable that there is no strong
evidence to suggest that there has been a significant reduction
in the availability of drugs or in their use by young people.
It is impossible to judge, however, what the situation would have
been if it had not been for the Action Plan and the efforts of
Member States to curb the supply of and demand for drugs.
30.9 The proposals the Commission has made as
a result of the final evaluation appear to us to be pragmatic
and sensible. We note that the Government agrees with the proposals
and wishes to see them reflected in the new Drugs Strategy.
30.10 There are no questions we need put to the
Minister about the final evaluation and we are content to clear
the document from scrutiny.
66 See headnote. Back
67
See (26143) 14702/1/04 and (26153) 15074/04: para 31 of this Report. Back
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