Do we need a European drugs strategy?

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Notes

Notes

1. European countries taking this position were Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Some of these are not full members of the EU. As not all 27 EU countries joined this group, consensus within EU could not be claimed.

2. Some key moments in the gradually evolving story can be noted: 1971 – Cooperation Group set up to combat drug abuse and illicit trafficking in drugs; 1976 Trevi working groups formed to counter terrorism and coordinate policing; 1985 the Schengen agreement loosening border controls; 1986 the Single European Act and the Stewart Clark Inquiry; 1990 the first European Action plan to combat drugs; 1992 the first European Drug Prevention Week; 1993 Maastricht Treaty, the Europol Drugs Unit and EMCDDA agreed (established 1995); 1996–2000 the first EU action plan to combat drugs; 1997 Amsterdam Treaty and the Horizontal [drugs]Working Group set up; 2000–2004 EU drugs strategy and Action Plan; 2003 the Council of Ministers accepted the harm reduction principle; 2005–2012 EU drugs strategy with a first action plan 2005–2008 and second 2009–2012.