Madam President, Commissioner, unfortunately, drug abuse is one of today’s major social problems, meaning that the measures and policies applied so far have been inadequate. Drug use is increasing along with the other problems facing modern society. The 2002 annual report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction shows that the level of drug use is fairly stable, with 2 to 9 users per 1 000 population in the 15 to 64 age group, 500 000 to 1 000 000 of whom are drug injectors, that is, heroin addicts. That is why, even though the primary objective when dealing with this problem is still and always will be prevention, I think this is a very important initiative and I congratulate you, Commissioner, on your proposal on the prevention and reduction of risks associated with drug dependence. I make no bones about the fact that I would have preferred this particular proposal to have been a legislative proposal because it is common European policy or at least a legislative approach that makes our policies effective. Nonetheless, I think that the proposed recommendation is an important step towards protecting both public health and the personal health of users and that we are sending out the right political message; that addicts are patients in need of medical and social care, not just offenders, as most societies today believe. Our proposed amendments mainly specify the action needed at local level if we are to achieve maximum possible results in this difficult and sensitive sector. Raising public awareness in order to gain acceptance of various forms of treatment and other user protection programmes is vital if we are to be able to implement the proposed recommendation. In other words, when we talk of measures to reduce the harm done by drug use, the main objective is still to cure the user. However, as we know, a large number of drug addicts do not sign up for treatment programmes, and it is basically this group that has the most problems. We can only stop dangerous diseases such as hepatitis, AIDS and tuberculosis from spreading if we educate this group on the health risks. This should also encourage users to be more careful when taking drugs and adopt a healthier lifestyle. It is also vital to include measures targeting high-risk environments, such as prisons. The proportion of inmates in the EU reporting having used drugs varies according to prisons and countries from between 29 and 86%. Prisoners are highly exposed to illnesses through the use of common syringes and needles and sexual contact. Inevitably, the prison staff also face an immediate danger and a number of amendments have been proposed in order to reflect this. As you know, Commissioner, the drug debate has been a topical debate for quite some time now and always gives rise to a great many, usually conflicting views. Nonetheless, and my thanks here to all my colleagues, especially the shadow rapporteurs for their cooperation, we have managed to table a relatively well-endorsed proposal in plenary today, despite the 103 original amendments. I think that, if the Member States implement just some of the proposed measures, both users and their families and European citizens will feel that we are determined to do something about this complex and difficult problem.

Political group: PSE