Council Resolution of 27 November 2003 on the posting of liaison officers, with particular expertise in drugs to Albania
Date: 2003-11-27
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Albania, drug traffic, self-employed person

C 97/6

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

22.4.2004

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 27 November 2003

on the posting of liaison officers, with particular expertise in drugs to Albania

(2004/C 97/03)

COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

(1) considering that

the European Union drugs

strategy
2000-2004 states that effective combating of drug traf-
ficking requires improved cooperation between competent
departments in the Member States and third countries
(section VI.A);

(2) bearing in mind that the European Union action plan on
drugs 2000-2004 promotes international cooperation and
gives priority in international anti-drug efforts to those
the world that either produce drugs or
regions of
transit on their way to the
through which drugs
European Union (section 5.2.1);

countries situated along the Balkan routes and that an
explicit objective of the action plan is the establishment
of coordination structures, with Albania amongst others;

(7) bearing in mind that the London Statement concluding
the London Conference on organised crime in South
Eastern Europe of 25 November 2002 devotes particular
attention to the joint effort against the most important
aspects of organised crime, which include drug trafficking,
and that a specific action plan was outlined for Albania;

(8) whereas with the declaration of the Thessaloniki Summit
between the EU and the Western Balkan States of 21 June
2003, the SAP countries reaffirmed their commitment to
the Stabilisation and Association Process and in particular
their willingness to define and implement measures to
tackle organised crime;

(3) bearing in mind that

the mid-term evaluation of

the
European Union action plan on drugs 2000-2004 (Doc.
12451/3/02 Cordrogue 80 Rev. 3)
the
resources spent by the Union on drug-related activities
in any particular region outside the Union should reflect
the significance of that region for the drugs problem in
Europe;

states

that

of

the

Europe

envisages

conclusion

(4) considering that the stabilisation and association process
which the EU has begun with the countries of South-
Eastern
an
important agreement with Albania (SAA-Albania), which
is to include the Parties' commitment to contribute by all
available means to political, economic and institutional
stabilisation in Albania and the region, to be implemented
partly through wide-ranging cooperation in justice and
involve
home
to reduce drug
measures to combat drug trafficking,
supply and demand and to ensure more
effective
control of precursors;

illicit drugs, will

affairs, which,

for

(5) considering that the EU drugs action plan implementation
paper on demand and supply reduction (Cordrogue 40)
stipulates that the resources spent by the EU on drugs-
should take into consideration drug
related actions
production zones
and explicitly
routes
mentions Albania;

and transit

(6) considering that the action plan between the European
Union and countries of
the Western Balkans and the
candidate countries (Doc. 5062/2/03 Cordrogue 3 Rev.
third
2 COWEB 76)

is open to the participation of

(9) bearing in mind that the conclusions of the ministerial
conference held on May 21-22, 2003, concerning the
(‘Paris Pact’),
‘drug routes from Central Asia to Europe’
reaffirm the
international
community in promoting coordinated strategies on the
fight against drugs with the support of UNODC;

commitment

the

of

(10) considering that the amounts of cannabis seized in Italy
and Greece from Albanian nationals have increased from
quantities measured in grammes in 1991 to quantities
now measured in tons, and that cannabis is smuggled
on from such countries to many other European Union
countries;

in illicit

(11) considering that for some years Albanian criminal gangs
have been trafficking heavily
substances
(cannabis, cultivated in Albania, heroin and cocaine
in Albania) bound for
which are not produced
numerous EU Member States, and that they collaborate
in this traffic with South American and other different
organized crime groups operating in Albania and other
areas of Balkan region;

(12) bearing in mind that official reports on enforcement
operations
in Albania's neighbouring countries have
drawn attention to the extreme and increasing dangers
of the Albania coasts, from which huge consignments
of cannabis, cocaine and heroin are shipped, and have
highlighted the fact that all over Europe, criminal organi-
sations engaged in drug trafficking are constantly found to
include Albanian members;

22.4.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 97/7

(13) bearing in mind that the Memorandum of Understanding
of the Customs Assistance Mission to Albania (CAM-A)
provides for assistance to be given to the competent
Albanian authorities in preventing illicit movements of
goods, relying where necessary on naval units of Italy's
Guardia di Finanza stationed in the port of Durres for the
monitoring of Albanian territorial waters, pursuant to ad
hoc protocol signed by the competent authorities of both
countries;

(18) set up a coordinating mechanism among the abovemen-
tioned liaison officers,
in order to ensure a constant
exchange of information on their activities and to foster
common understanding. To that end, regular meetings
will be arranged among the same officers, on the basis
of
the procedure envisaged by Art. 4.1 of Decision
2003/170/JHA. Where appropriate, the Commission and
Europol will be invited to these meetings. The competent
Albanian authorities,
if necessary, will be associated to
such meetings;

(14) considering that

an expected result of

the Police
the European Community to
Assistance Mission of
Albania (PAMECA)
the
Albanian police to investigate and counter organise
crime, including trafficking in drugs (point 2.3.1);

is to improve the capacity of

(15) taking into account that Council Decision 2003/170/JHA
of 27 February 2003 provides for the common use of
liaison officers posted abroad by the law enforcement
agencies of the Member States in order to establish and
maintain contacts with the authorities of those countries
so as to contribute to preventing or investigating criminal
offences,

MEMBER STATES ARE INVITED TO:

law,

(16) consider the opportunity of posting, or to use when
already in place, on a voluntary basis, and in accordance
with their national
liaison officers, with particular
expertise in drugs to Albania and other countries in the
Balkans, with the aim of increasing the efficiency of the
action against drugs through a careful monitoring activity
and an exchange of
information with the competent
national authorities, both on drug supply and demand-
related issues;

(17) take steps to ensure that

liaison officers, with
particular expertise in drugs, establish direct contact
with the competent Albanian authorities with a view to
facilitating and increasing the collection and exchange of
information;

their

(19) arrange,

in accordance with Article 5.3 and 7.1 of the
relevant
the
Decision 2003/170/JHA,
information with the Member States, which do not have
liaison officers, with particular expertise in drugs,
in
Albania. The exchange of
information can also be
conducted via the Europol Liaison Officers' network;

exchange of

(20) channel,

to the competent national departments,

the
information concerning drugs and its related illicit traf-
ficking to and from Albania, received from the liaison
officers, with particular expertise in drugs, and from the
various
international organisations operating in the
Balkans,

(21) inform the General Secretariat of

the
European Union — which will relay the information to
the other Member States, to Europol and to the European
Commission — on the posting of the liaison officers, with
particular expertise in drugs, to Albania;

the Council of

(22) ensure that every six months the Member State, which
has chaired the latest meeting as to point 18), files a
report
to the Horizontal Working Party on Drugs on
the situation in Albania and in the entire Balkan area,
the actions undertaken,
the actions planned and the
results achieved. On this purpose, direct contacts will be
also maintained with the Dublin Group.