WRITTEN QUESTION E-2565/01 by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (PPE-DE) to the Commission. EU drugs policy and the situation in Greece.
Date: 2001-09-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Greece, action programme, competence of the Member States, drug addiction, mortality

16.5.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 115 E/121

As to the fight against terrorism, after the attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001 a special
Justice and Home Affairs (JAI) Council was held on 20 September 2001. It agreed on a comprehensive list
of concrete measures to strengthen cooperation and enhance the fight against terrorism, among them the
creation of a special counter-terrorism unit within Europol. Europol, however, does not have any
investigative powers. It may contribute to the fight against terrorism by facilitating information exchange
between Member States and providing analytical capacity.

In view of the conclusions of the JHA Council meetings of 20, 27 and 28 September 2001, as well as
those of the extraordinary European Council of 21 September 2001, the joint Ecofin-JAI Council and the
extraordinary JAI Council of 16 October 2001, and the informal meeting of Heads of State and
Government on 19 October 2001 in Gent, the Commission is optimistic that the Union will succeed in
the fight against the various forms of serious crimes we have been recently confronted with. The
Commission does not have any reason to believe that the Union’s level of civil rights will be affected.

(1) OJ C 93 E, 18.4.2002, p. 137.

(2002/C 115 E/124)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2565/01

by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: EU drugs policy and the situation in Greece

(21 September 2001)

The latest figures published by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction paint an
extremely alarming picture for the Member States as a whole and for Greece in particular. According to
the most recently published statistics and surveys, Greece is in sixth place for the number of deaths
resulting from drug use (a 25-fold increase over the last 15 years), first place for the number of drug-
related sudden deaths (a nine-fold increase over the last 15 years), second place for the number of drug-
related arrests (a 3,5-fold increase over the last 10 years) and, finally, the number of people referred to
treatment programmes in the country has doubled in recent times.

In the light of this situation, does the Commission believe it has taken satisfactory measures to devise an
effective Community policy to prevent and combat this scourge?

Will it submit new proposals and take fresh initiatives to deal more effectively with the problem on the
basis of the 2000-2004 action plan to combat drugs and the new opportunities afforded by the Treaty of
Amsterdam (particularly in regard to drug control, police and judicial cooperation, the operation of the
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, etc.)?

Does the Commission have a satisfactory assessment of the policies pursued in Greece and what view does
it take of the deterioration in the situation there?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(24 October 2001)

The increasing trend of drug related deaths in Greece appears clearly in the Annual reports of the
European Monitoring Centre for drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). However, when making
comparisons between Member States, one should bear in mind that data from some Member States are
missing and that the presented figures are not directly comparable. Some of the increase in drug-related
deaths in Greece may be explained by the increased availability and use of opiates, in particular heroin.
Some may be due to the improved reporting practices.

It is worth noting that drug related deaths in Greece, as in the Union in general, have stabilised between
1996-1998 and there appears to be no big increase in 1999. The amount of drug-related arrests and of
people referred to treatment programmes have also risen but also here, one should be cautious on drawing

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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16.5.2002

conclusions since these figures may as well reflect improvements in the respective services. Unfortunately,
reliable estimate on the scale of problematic drug use in Greece is still missing.

Most of the drug policy in the Union falls within the competence of the Member States. The Community
Programme for Drug Prevention has funded many networks of professionals, cities and non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) aiming at developing best practices in drug prevention and sharing information
between them. Research into the effectiveness of drug treatment has been funded by the Framework
Programme for Research and Development. There are also many non-drug specific programmes that have
funded drug-related activities; e.g. the URBAN programme has funded the setting up of a rehabilitation
centre in Greece.

The Union Action Plan on Drugs 2000-2004 (1) lists more than a hundred concrete measures to be taken
to tackle drugs. The Commission, together with the Europol and the EMCDDA, has already drawn up a
follow-up table listing the targets of the Action Plan together with a timetable and the responsible party
for their implementation. A similar table for the Member States is under discussion. The table could also
prove to be useful for the candidate countries in preparation for membership. Concerning, in particular,
the law enforcement cooperation, the Commission and the Member States have listed their goals in the
‘Scoreboard to review progress in an area of’Freedom, Security and Justice‘in the Union’ (2) based on the
conclusions of the Tampere European Council of 15 and 16 October 1999.

The Commission will organise an evaluation of the Union Action Plan in the mid-term (2002) and on
completion (2004). In this context, also the strategies and policies on drugs in the Union will be evaluated.
The Commission is working closely with the EMCDDA and Europol to develop tools for this evaluation.
The Action Plan on Drugs calls for all drug related actions to be evaluated. Evaluation is a tool for
identifying best practices and benchmarking achievements and learning from experience. This information
must then be shared between all the actors in the drugs field in the Union as well as with the candidate
countries.

(1) COM(1999) 239 final.
(2) COM(2000) 782 final.

(2002/C 115 E/125)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2566/01

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(21 September 2001)

Subject: Appalling hygiene in the Rendi central meat market in Greece

According to my information (press reports and administrative memos), the wholesale meat market in
Athens, which belongs to the Athens Central Market Organisation under the supervision of the Ministry of
Trade, does not fulfill the criteria laid down in Commission Decision 96/658/EC (1), and is operating
unlawfully and without the approval of the competent authority required under Article 4 of that Decision.

The market lacks space and equipment, and its employees do not comply with personal hygiene rules. The
open spaces are permanently littered with rubbish, which swarms with insects and mice. The meat is
exposed to the open air, cut up among customers, visitors and even dogs, and transported to retailers in a
heap in dirty vehicles and sometimes in the boots of cars. Despite this situation, the market continues to
operate and its authorities have no regard for compliance with Community standards.