Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to congratulate both rapporteurs on their contributions, which represent another step forward in our fight against the scourge of drugs. We have no doubt whatsoever that drugs are an evil that must be fought, through eradicating the trade in them and through efficient work on prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. As the recent report on the assessment of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction emphasised, that institution has made an enormous contribution to European drugs policy, as it has filled in the gaps in our information and knowledge about this issue. The same report concluded that the Monitoring Centre has undertaken an impressive number of projects since its inception, and these have provided added value for the European fight against drugs. The very existence of this agency has helped ensure that drug-related issues remain on the political agenda, and has given the European Union and its Member States greater visibility and credibility in the international debate on drugs. The work undertaken on synthetic drugs has stood out for its efficiency and timeliness. The consumption of drugs is no longer limited to the old products and we are concerned at the emergence of new markets for synthetic products, which are cheaper and more easily produced, thereby creating greater profits for those who make a living from trafficking, and more harmful consequences for those who take drugs. The Monitoring Centre carries out its duties in the area of information, under the terms of its regulations. The information that it produces is designed to help the Community and the Member States to develop an overview of the drugs situation, so that, under the terms of their respective areas of competence, they can adopt measures or take action in this area. This demonstrates the essential role of the Monitoring Centre as a support mechanism for the decision-making process. The same report, however, highlighted problems in the Centre’s operations and delays in creating some of the structures that are crucial to its activities. It is therefore understandable, for the sake of the efficiency of this instrument, that we should be advocating its overhaul and improvement instead of cooperating in the dismantling of activities which might violate its fundamental purpose. Whilst agreeing in essence with the two reports that we are discussing today and which we will be approving, the PPE will certainly register its disagreement with proposals, which, in our opinion, will not contribute to the objectives I have just referred to in the special vote. Enlargement of the European Union to cover new countries is essential to the Union. It will unite us with States with very diverse political cultures and, in many cases, with new and relatively untested constitutions and structures. The action undertaken by the Monitoring Centre will be crucial to these countries, particularly to those amongst them that are fighting to end the scourge of drugs. The Union’s pre-accession strategy provides for the option of candidate countries gaining Membership of certain agencies, such as the Monitoring Centre, even before they become full Members of the European Union. We welcome Norway’s membership of the Monitoring Centre, following its stated desire to do so, particularly given the very close cultural, commercial and social relations that have historically united the European Union and Norway.

Political group: PPE-DE