RESOLUTION on measures to combat drugs

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to the report of its Committee of Inquiry into the Problem of Drugs in the Member States of the Community and the recommendations of that committee (Doc. A2-114/86), and Parliament's resolution of 9 October 1986 on the problem of drugs(1),

(1) OJ No C 283, 10.11.1986, p. 79.

B. extremely concerned at the grave problem of drug abuse and in particular the increase in the trafficking of synthetic cocaine (crack),

C. whereas the value of illegal drugs trafficking is estimated at 300-500 billion dollars per annum and having regard to the large number of drugs-related offences and crimes,

D. having regard to the alarming increase in AIDS cases among drug addicts in the Community and the drastic increase in the number of drugs-related deaths in several Member States,

E. wheares the seizure of substantial quantities of drugs in the Community and the recent disclosure of cases of banks being involved in laundering money from drug trafficking confirm the need for increased cooperation between the relevant services in the Member States (police, customs, court authorities),

F. having regard to the risks involved in the use of anabolic steroids and psychotropic substances and their effects on the personality,

G. having regard to the positions taken by the European Council meeting in Milan on 28 and 29 June 1985 and in The Hague on 26 and 27 June 1986 and the results of the informal meeting of the Ministers of the Interior of the Member States held in London on 20 October 1986 on measures to combat drugs,

H. having regard to the political declaration made by the governments of the Member States on the free movement of persons when signing the European Single Act, in which they stated their determination to cooperate in combating terrorism, crime and drug trafficking, and the conclusions drawn by the European Council meeting in Rhodes particularly regarding the elimination of internal frontiers and, in this connection, progress in inter-governmental cooperation in the fight against terrorism, international crime, drugs and all forms of trafficking, and having regard to the request that each Member State should appoint a coordinator for this purpose,

I. having regard to the urgent need for concerted Community action to combat the production and supply of drugs, as well as the demand for them, both at Community and international level,

J. whereas the Member States must strengthen and develop their collaboration within the existing institutions-European political cooperation, the Trevi Group and Interpol,

K. having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on Community action to combat the use of drugs (COM(86) 601 final),

L. having regard to the UN Conventions adopted in 1961 and 1971 and the Convention of 20 December 1988, which the Commission helped to draw up and to which the Community should accede in its own right,

M. whereas efforts should be made to provde financial support for the often very poor populations of producer countries to help them replace their drugs crops, working in collaboration with the UNFDAC,

I. Calls on the Commission:

1) to propose to the Council that the Community accede as soon as possible to the new UN Convention of 20 December 1988 and to consider the implications for the implementation of the other UN Conventions of 1961 and 1971;

2) to organize a Community conference in collaboration with the European Parliament to assess the various policies adopted by the Member States to combat drugs, taking account of the link between drug trafficking, crime and terrorism;

3) to draw up, in the light of the findings of this conference, the UN Conventions and the recommendations of its Committee of Inquiry, a comprehensive Community programme to combat drugs, taking into consideration all the aspects involved, including prevention, detoxification and rehabilitation, as well as action by the judiciary, the police and the customs;

4) to include in this programme;

(a) measures to enable effective action to be taken against drug traffickers through the confiscation of their assets, extradition and the destruction of their laboratories and to propose increased use of controlled deliveries at Community level through the use of technologically sophisticated detection equipment;

(b) provisions to prevent the laundering of money derived from drug trafficking;

(c) education and prevention programmes aimed specifically at young people, together with measures to encourage the exchange of experience between Member States;

(d) creation of central drugs intelligence agency;

II. Proposes the organization of a conference with the United States to develop and coordinate effective measures at international level;

III. Calls on the Member States;

1) to appoint as quickly as possible coordinators responsible for studying questions related to internal security at Community level further to the decision of the European Council in Rhodes and to invest them with the necessary supranational authority to enable them to take urgent initiatives and action at national or Community level in collaboration with the Commission;

2) to realize, with a view to 1993, that any policy in this area must take account of the possibility of trafficking in substances which are freely available on the open market under certain conditions, such as anabolic steroids, codeine and steroids produced in Europe and exported to the United States and Third World countries;

IV. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission.