Communication from the Commission on the 2007 Progress Review of the implementation of the EU action plan on drugs (2005-2008)
Date: 2007-12-10
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: action programme, cooperation policy, drug addiction, drug traffic, fight against crime

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 10.12.2007 
COM(2007) 781 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

on the 2007 Progress Review of the implementation of the EU Action Plan on Drugs 
(2005-2008) 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

on the 2007 Progress Review of the implementation of the EU Action Plan on Drugs (2005-
2008) 

INTRODUCTION 

I. 
The UN estimates that some 200 million people take or have taken drugs over the last year1. The 
estimate for the European Union is that some 25 to 30 million adults – aged 15-64 – have taken 
some type of illicit drugs in the last year2. This is a historically high level for Europe, even if it 
has  been  stabilising  in  recent  years.  Illicit  drugs  are  believed  to  represent  the  third  biggest 
industry in the world, after oil and arms.  

Trends in and patterns of drug use change over time. Heroin still accounts for the largest share of 
drug  dependence  and  drug-related  health  damage.  Cannabis  continues  to  be  the  most  popular 
illicit substance, while recent trends show an increased use of cocaine in several Member States. 
The use of ecstasy and amphetamines seems to have reached its peak and is now stabilising or 
gradual  declining.  Poly  drug  use  –  the  combined  use  of  substances,  licit  and  illicit  –  poses  a 
growing challenge to prevention and treatment.  

The global nature of the problem requires concerted action at European and international level if 
the steady rise in consumption and production worldwide is to be halted.  

There are no simple solutions to this problem. Drug use and trafficking disrupts societies through 
crime  and  corruption,  but  is  also  a  major  health  determinant  for  EU  citizens,  and  drug-related 
infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS,  hepatitis) pose major threats to public health in the EU. Faced 
with the reality of these distressing facts it has for some time been accepted in Europe that an 
effective  response  has  to  look  beyond  the  entirely  justified  public  concern  caused  by  drug 
consumption. The European Union is therefore committed to an evidence-based approach which 
focuses on a continuous analysis of the problem and an objective assessment of the public policy 
response to it. The objective is to come to a better understanding of which policies work best.  
This overall approach is reflected in the European Strategy on Drugs 2005-20123 – endorsed by 
the  European  Council  in  December  2004  as  part  of  The  Hague  Programme  for  strengthening 
Freedom,  Security  and  Justice  in  the  EU4  –  and  the  EU  Drugs  Action  Plan  2005-20085  – 
endorsed by the Council on 8 July 2005. 

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United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, 2007  
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2007  
CORDROGUE 77, 22.11.2004 
COM (2005) 184 final, 10.5.2005 
OJ C168, 8.7.2005 

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The EU Drug Strategy 2005-2012 sets out two overall objectives: 

(1) 

(2) 

The EU aims at a contribution to the attainment of a high level of health protection, well-
being  and  social  cohesion  by  complementing  Member  States'  action  in  preventing  and 
reducing drug use, dependence and drug-related harms to health and society. 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  aim  to  ensure  a  high  level  of  security  for  the  general 
public  by  taking  action  against  drug  production,  cross-border  trafficking  in  drugs  and 
diversion of precursors, and by intensifying preventive action against drug-related crime, 
through effective cooperation embedded in a joint approach. 

The Strategy states that "By the end of 2012, progress should have been made by all priorities in 
the fields defined in the Strategy". 

The  Drug  Action  Plans  represent  the  practical  implementation  of  the  Strategy  coupled  with 
monitoring  and  evaluation  as  essential  elements  of  this  process.  The  Strategy  states  that  "the 
Commission  will  be  responsible  for  the  continuous  and  overall  evaluation  of  the  Strategy  and 
Action plan with the support of the Member States, the EMCDDA (European Monitoring Centre 
for Drugs and Drug Addiction) and Europol".  

The EU Action Plan on Drugs (2005-2008) 

This is the first of two Action Plans designed to translate the global objectives and priorities of 
the Strategy into specific actions with identifiable indicators to measure progress. 

The  ultimate  aim  of  the  Plan  is  "to  significantly  reduce  the  prevalence  of  drug  use  among  the 
population and to reduce the social and health damage caused by the use of and trade in illicit 
drugs".  It  aims  to  do  this  by  providing  a  framework  for  an  integrated,  balanced  approach 
designed  to  reduce  both  supply  and  demand  through  a  number  of  specific  actions.  These  have 
been chosen on the basis of the following principles: 

– 

– 

– 

Actions at EU level must offer clear added value and results must be realistic and 
measurable 

Actions  must  be  cost-effective  and  contribute  directly  to  the  achievement  of  at 
least one of the goals or priorities as set out in the Strategy 

The number of actions in each field should be targeted and realistic. 

The  Commission  is  requested  to  present  progress  reviews  to  the  Council  and  the  European 
Parliament on the implementation of the Action Plan and proposals to deal with identified gaps 
and possible new challenges. 

A  first  Progress  Review,  covering  2005-2006,  was  produced  by  the  Commission  as  a  staff 
working paper6 and endorsed by the Council in its conclusions of 4 June 20077.  

This Communication contains the conclusions of the 2007 Progress Review, with a detailed 
report on the implementation of the Action Plan in annex. 

The  Commission  will  conduct  a  final  evaluation  in  2008  and  propose  a  new  Action  Plan.  The 
next Action Plan will be guided by lessons learned from the experience of the past three years.  

II.  METHODOLOGY  

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SEC (2006) 1803 
CORDROGUE 32, 4.6.2007 

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In the preparation of this Progress Review the Commission was assisted by the Member States, 
the EMCDDA and Europol. The assessment for 2007, covering the period between the second 
half of 2006 and the first half of 2007, follows the chapter structure of the Action Plan. 

Responsibilities  for  actions  and  deadlines  are  clearly  indicated  in  the  Plan.  To  keep 
implementation on track, the targets whose deadlines have passed or are unlikely to be met will 
be subject to recommendations for their implementation or flagged for failure to implement. The 
Action Plan provides a set of indicators8 and/or assessment tools9 for each objective and action.  

The output for objectives and actions that have reached their implementation deadline has been 
analysed.  Ongoing  actions  are  reported  on.  A  conclusion  is  provided  for  each  objective  in  the 
Action Plan. For eleven objectives and actions the deadline for completion is 2008 and will be 
assessed in next year's final evaluation. 

III.  MAIN FINDINGS FROM THE 2007 PROGRESS REVIEW 

Although the 2007 Progress Review shows that most objectives are on track, many actions need 
further work in order to comply with the Action Plan. A summary of the main conclusions of the 
detailed report is annexed to this Communication. 

3.1 

Coordination  

EU Presidencies increasingly plan their drug policy agendas in line with priorities set out in the 
Action  Plan,  and  coordination  takes  place  between  past,  present  and  future  Presidencies. 
Coordination between the Horizontal Working Party on Drugs (HDG) and other relevant Council 
Working Parties has improved.  

Feedback from Member States on the implementation of the Action Plan needs to be improved. 
One suggestion might be to appoint a 'Drug Action Plan correspondent' in each delegation to 
the  HDG  responsible  for  coordinating  the  flow  of  information  on  the  implementation  of  the 
Action Plan. 

The  annual  Progress  Reviews  show  that  Member  States'  drug  policies  and  approaches  are 
converging to a certain extent. This enables the EU, for example, to speak more often with one 
voice in external relations when it comes to drug-related matters.  

Twenty-five Member States have one or more designated coordinators or coordinating bodies in 
the  field  of  drugs  at  national  level.  Even  if  it  is  difficult  to  assess  whether  or  not  these  drug 
coordination mechanisms are ‘fully operational’, the presence of a coordinating entity at national 
level is in itself an acknowledgement of the crosscutting nature of drugs as a policy area and 
of  the  need  for  a  balanced  approach  in  this  field.  All  Presidencies  of  the  HDG  have  called 
meetings  of  the  National  Drug  Coordinators  and  the  agendas  reflect  the  EU  Action  Plan  on 
Drugs 2005-2008. 

The  need  to  involve  civil  society  in  EU  drug  policy  making  was  highlighted  in  the  EU  Drug 
Strategy 2005-2012. The establishment of a Civil Society Forum on Drugs by the end of 2007 
is the visible outcome of the consultation process that was started in 2006. The Commission is 
confident that the Forum will facilitate effective communication with civil society. 

As to the mainstreaming of drug policy into external relations, all agreements between the EU 
and third countries that were under negotiation or concluded in 2006 contain substantive articles 
on  drugs  cooperation.  Third  countries  should  assume  ownership  of  collaborative  activities  by 

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An indicator is a tool by which the progress or achievement of an action or objective can be measured. 
An assessment tool is a means by which this progress or achievement of the implementation of an action 
can be verified. 

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assuming responsibility for their own policies and for the implementation of collaborative 
projects. This is an important condition for the successful implementation of these agreements.  

3.2 

Demand reduction  

The EU is moving forward in developing a holistic and pragmatic response to the social and 
health harms posed by drug use. It continues to expand evidence-based best practices in drug 
prevention, early intervention, treatment, rehabilitation, social reintegration and harm reduction. 
All  Member  States  subscribe  to  the  policy  of  monitoring  and  evaluating  their  drug-related 
activities,  although  there  is  still  a  need  for  development  in  terms  of  methodologies  and  the 
number of evaluations carried out.  

A Commission report on the implementation of the Council Recommendation on 'the prevention 
and  reduction  of  health-related  harm  associated  with  drug  dependence'10  shows  that  harm 
reduction  is  now  a  well-established  part  of  drug  policy  in  all  EU  Member  States. 
Furthermore,  there  is  a  steadily  growing  evidence  base  that  supports  harm  reduction 
interventions. Nonetheless, harm reduction measures are far from being uniformly applied across 
EU countries. 

Opioid substitution treatment is one of the main treatment options in the EU Member States and 
is  supported  by  a  large  and  growing  body  of  research  evidence  which  shows  that  it  can 
effectively  reduce  opiate  use  and  risk  behaviour.  These  programmes  are  also  effective  in 
increasing  treatment  retention  and  can  help  to  stabilise  and  improve  the  health  and  social 
conditions of chronic heroin users. As new patterns and trends in drug use in the EU emerge, the 
range of prevention and harm reduction activities as well as treatment and rehabilitation facilities 
and services needs to adjust to new types of needs of clients. Regardless of the balance of these 
elements  in  the  different  national  policies,  there  is  clear  agreement  that  a  co-ordinated  and 
comprehensive public health approach, including harm reduction, is vital to reduce the spread of 
infectious diseases among drug users.  

Drug-related  death  is  clearly  the  most  serious  form  of  drug-related  harm  to  society  and 
calls  for  continuous  monitoring  and  action  to  introduce  and  strengthen,  in  particular,  effective 
harm reduction and reintegration measures. 

There has been clear progress throughout the EU on coverage of, and access to, drug services, 
and  it  is  important  to  continue  to  develop  these  services  and  develop  indicators  on  the 
effectiveness of treatment and harm reduction measures.  

There is a need for quality standards for services and measures ranging from prevention to drug 
treatment  and  harm  reduction;  however,  information  on  the  availability  of  quality  assurance 
mechanisms  in  demand  reduction  in  Member  States  is  limited.  Moreover,  the  concept  of  what 
exactly  constitutes  a  'standard'  or  a  'guideline'  varies  considerably  across  Member  States.  The 
detailed report in the annex shows that work is still needed on many aspects of demand reduction 
in  the  Action  Plan,  and  that  some  actions  and  indicators  will  need  to  be  fine-tuned  to  make  it 
possible to measure the impact of those actions.  

A  wide  variety  of  alternatives  to  prison  for  drug-using  offenders  already  exists,  however  it 
not yet possible to assess their use and/ or effectiveness. Almost all EU countries have measures 
in place to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, but there is a gap between harm reduction 
services offered in the community and in prison. This will require further development. 

The need to enhance harm reduction measures in prisons was confirmed by the Presidency in its 
Conclusions  on  the  follow-up  to  the  2003  Council  Recommendation  on  the  prevention  and 

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COM (2007) 199 final 

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reduction of health-related harm associated with drug dependence. The Commission was asked 
to  "put  forward  a  proposal  for  a  recommendation  on  drugs  in  prison  as  foreseen  in  Action 
13.2 of the EU Action Plan 2005-200811". 

To complement Member States' activities in this field, the Programme for Community Action 
in the field of Public Health12 (2003-2008) continues to support a range of projects in the field 
of drug demand reduction, including prevention, harm reduction and treatment. Funding for this 
kind  of  activities  will  continue  under  the  second  Community  Action  Programme  for  Public 
Health (2008-2012) and will be enhanced by the new Specific Programme "Drug Prevention 
and Information"13 (2007-2013) and through the 7th Framework Programme for Research, 
Technological Development and Demonstration Activities14 (2007-2013). 

3.3 

Supply reduction 

EU  law  enforcement  agencies  continue  to  be  very  active  in  detecting  and  preventing  the 
smuggling  of  both  drugs  and  drug  precursors.  In  2006,  the  number  of  cases  increased.  The 
Commission,  together  with  Member  States,  has  drafted  a  guidance  document  for  operators 
trading legally in precursors that might be diverted to illicit drug production. This document sets 
out recommendations to help legal traders to detect and report suspicious transactions. 

Member  States  contribute  to  the  Analysis  Work  Files  run  by  Europol  for  its  ongoing  projects 
COLA  (cocaine),  MUSTARD  (heroin)  and  SYNERGY  (synthetic  drugs).  In  turn,  Europol 
contributes  by  providing  information  to  Member  States'  investigations  and  operations.  The 
Commission  has  been  unable  to  check  on  the  implementation  in  the  Member  States  of  the 
Council Recommendation on the alignment of statistics on seizures of drugs and diverted 
precursors15, which was adopted in 2001. No information is available on its implementation at 
EU level.  

The collaboration between Member States and Europol and Eurojust, by making use of existing 
instruments,  could  be  further  developed.  At  the  moment,  instruments  such  as  Joint 
Investigation  Teams  (JITs)  and  Joint  Customs  Operations  (JCOs)  seem  to  be  used  to  a  limited 
extent. In 2005 and 2006, only two JITs and four JCOs were implemented. Europol and Eurojust 
are preparing special training and a manual on the setting up and use of Joint Investigation Team 
projects.  

To  date,  it  has  not  been  possible  to  identify  any  major  projects  at  Member  State  or  EU  level 
specifically  targeting  the  financial  resources  of  the  illicit  drug  trade.  The  Commission 
recommends  that  Member  States  make  full  use  of  the  Financial  Intelligence  Units'  NET 
Platform.  The  Commission  is  currently  preparing  a  Report  on  the  Council  Decision  of  17 
October  2000  concerning  arrangements  for  cooperation  between  financial  intelligence  units  of 
the Member States in respect of exchanging information16. Likewise, Member States are invited 
to make greater use of EU funding programmes, such as the Prevention of and Fight against 
Crime  (2007-2013)17  Programme,  to  investigate  links  between  drug  production  and  the 
financing of terrorism.  

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CORDROGUE 43, 2.7.2007 
OJ L 271, 09.10.2002 
OJ L 257, 03.10.2007 
OJ L 412/1, 30.12.2006 
13618/01 STUP 29 
OJ L 271, 24.10.2000 
OJ L 58, 24.02.2007 

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In  operational  terms,  seven  Member  States  are  now  involved  in  MAOC-N,  the  Lisbon-based 
Maritime  Analysis  and  Operational  Centre  on  Narcotics.  The  activities  involve  close 
cooperation between law enforcement agencies, judiciaries, and the naval and airborne resources 
of the Member States concerned, in fighting cocaine trafficking via the Atlantic and West Africa. 
MAOC-N  cooperates  with  similar  agencies  in  the  United  States,  such  as  the  Joint  Interagency 
Task  Force  South,  based  in  Florida.  The  cooperation  is  based  on  the  logic  that  the  global 
approach and flexibility of the drug traffickers should be matched by global law enforcement. 

Supply reduction is an area where measuring improvement at EU level remains difficult. Most of 
the actions in this field are measured using quantitative rather than qualitative indicators and 
he data that are available at EU level are often fragmented and difficult to compare. This is partly 
due to the lack of common standards for data registration and collection, but also to overlaps in 
reporting structures.  

The Commission, in cooperation with Europol and the EMCDDA, intends to assess the issue of 
supply reduction data in its 2008 final evaluation of the current EU Action Plan on Drugs. The 
objective  is  to  determine  what  are  the  existing  policy  needs  in  terms  of  law  enforcement 
problem  definitions  and  statistics  and  to  what  extent  these  data  are  already  or  can  be 
standardised and made available at EU level.  

Finally, the Council Decision on the information exchange, risk assessment and control of new 
psychoactive substances18 was implemented in 2007. For the first time since the adoption of 
the Decision in 2005, a risk assessment has been conducted on a new psychoactive substance, 
the stimulant 1-Benzylpiperazine (BZP). The assessment procedure culminated in a proposal by 
the  Commission  to  schedule  BZP  in  accordance  with  the  appropriate  legislation.  The  Council 
will decide on this proposal after consulting the European Parliament.  

3.4 

International cooperation  

The Strategy on the External Dimension of JHA: Global Freedom, Security and Justice, stresses 
that  cooperation  with  third  countries  in  these  areas  is  a  longer-term  effort  based  on  institution 
and  capacity  building  and  one  which  requires  sustained  commitment  on  both  sides.  The  first 
2006 Progress Report on the Strategy concludes that progress has been positive and steady, also 
on topics including drugs.19 

The EU is a key actor in the field of international cooperation on illicit drugs. It is engaged in an 
active dialogue with the most of the key production and trafficking countries affected by the drug 
problem  and  plays  a  major  role  in  supporting  them  by  means  of  financial  and  technical 
assistance. The EU's commitment to promoting the balanced approach, whereby drug demand 
and  supply  reduction  need  to  be  addressed  in  tandem,  reflects  the  fundamental  values  and 
principles of the Union and is seen as an example for other countries worldwide. The balanced 
approach  is  also  increasingly  integrated  in  the  drugs-related  articles  of  the  cooperation, 
association and partnership agreements with third countries.  

Action  to  tackle  drugs  is  regularly  discussed  in  the  meetings  with  candidate  and  potential 
candidate  countries  and  with  the  Commission's  European  Neighbourhood  partners.  The 
candidate  countries  are  increasingly  participating  in  the  work  of  EMCDDA,  Europol  and 
Eurojust. The different projects and structures in place allow the EU to support these countries 
in  developing  their  capacity  to  implement  the  acquis  and  related  action,  e.g.  developing 
national drug action plans and strategies. 

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2005/387/JHA, 10.5.2005 
Council Document 14366/3/05 REV 3; 30.11.2005 

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In  2007,  the  main  developments  in  the  field  of  international  cooperation  included  the  first 
meeting  of  experts  in  the  field  of  both  demand  reduction  and  supply  reduction  as  part  of  the 
"Paris  Pact"  process  on  heroin  trafficking.  There  was  also  an  agreement  on  the  review  of  the 
1999  Panama  Action  Plan  between  the  EU  and  Latin  America  and  the  Caribbean.  The  Port  of 
Spain Declaration of May 2007 identified new priorities for cooperation in the fields of demand 
and supply reduction and other areas related to drugs, such as money laundering, and customs, 
police and judicial cooperation.  

In  addition,  a  special  partnership  with  Cape  Verde  is  now  emerging  in  which  anti-drugs 
cooperation  features  prominently.  EU-Russia  cooperation  in  the  field  of  drugs  is  making 
progress at the operational level. A Memorandum of Understanding to exchange information and 
best  practice  on  drug  abuse  was  signed  in  October  2007  between  the  Russian  Federal  Drug 
Control  Service  and  the  EMCDDA.  Meetings  of  the  EU  Drug  Troika  took  place  with  the 
Western Balkans, Russia, and Afghanistan, the US and, for the first time, Ukraine. 

The  Dublin  Group  of  major  donor  countries  remains  a  valuable  instrument  for  Member  States 
and the Commission to analyse and exchange views on international drug problems. However, 
the regional chairs of the Dublin Group should report to what extent recommendations are being 
implemented. In 2007, the Dublin Group met with Iran - the first time the Group has ever invited 
a guest to its meeting.  

The assistance and amount of spending on drug-related activities and action plans is showing an 
upward trend.  

By the end of 2005, EU international cooperation projects in the field of drugs were valued at 
nearly € 760 million, making the EU the strongest player in the global effort against drugs.  

So far, less than half of the EU Member States run assistance projects with third countries, and 
the Commission, the UK and Germany account for more than 80% of ongoing projects in value 
terms.  

EU funding of drug-related assistance is concentrated on Afghanistan, accounting for almost two 
thirds  of  all  EU  external  funding  (€  452  million).  The  EC's  assistance  in  support  of  counter 
narcotics  strategies  is  targeting  socio-economic  development  in  a  number  of  provinces  in  the 
north  and  the  northeast  of  the  country  through  rural  development,  including  alternative 
livelihoods and assistance to the health sector. The EC is a key donor to the Law and Order Trust 
Fund,  the  Afghan  Reconstruction  Trust  Fund  and  a  new  €  200  million  Rule  of  Law  project, 
launched in 2007. 

Assistance  to  the  three  coca  growing  countries  in  the  Andean  region  accounts  for  nearly  one 
third of the overall EU funding (€ 220 million). The remainder is spread throughout the rest of 
the world, particularly in the Mediterranean/Balkan region, South-East Asia, South Caucasus and 
Central Asia, and involves support for alternative development (accounting for two thirds of all 
assistance) followed by institution building, law enforcement and demand reduction projects. 

In 2006 the North-South "drugs" budget line, managed by the European Commission, provided 
over  €  7.5  million  to  support  cooperation  along  the  cocaine  trafficking  routes  from  LAC  via 
Africa,  a  city  partnerships  initiative  between  the  EU  and  the  LAC  in  the  area  of  drug  demand 
reduction, a project on EU-LAC intelligence-sharing, another demand reduction initiative in the 
Southern Mediterranean, the Middle East and South West Asia, and a study on harm reduction in 
developing countries. 

There are a number of global initiatives, also financed from the 2006 budget line and all of them 
implemented  through  the  UNODC,  aiming  among  others  to  fund  the  Global  Crop  Monitoring 
System, to provide support to the Paris Pact Process, the UN NGO Drug Forum and to fund an 

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expert group to consolidate the 10-year assessment of the 1998 UNGASS. In addition, assistance 
is  provided  to  a  UNESCO  project,  which  was  started  in  2005,  to  strengthen  services  and 
capacity-building provided by NGOs in developing countries in the area of harm reduction. 

The EU is increasingly adopting a common position within the United Nations Commission 
on Narcotic Drugs (CND). One example was the draft EU Resolution on identifying sources of 
precursors in illicit drug production that was adopted at the CND's 50th session. The EU, acting 
as a single entity, co-sponsored a further ten CND resolutions in the field of drugs.  

The  EU  intends  to  continue  this  positive  record  on  coordination  by  maintaining  a  common 
position on the UNGASS evaluation in 2008, and its follow-up in 2009.  

The financing provided to UNODC to establish an expert working group on the evaluation of the 
UNGASS  1998  Declaration  is  confirmation  of  the  EU's  commitment  to  developing  and 
implementing  drug  policies  at  UN  level  that  are  increasingly  informed  by  scientific  evaluation 
and based on the best available evidence. 

3.5 

Information, research and evaluation 

The need to base drug policies on sound scientific evidence is greater than ever. This is reflected 
in the desire of Member States to enhance EU cooperation in the field of drug-related research.  

The  contributions  of  Europol  and  EMCDDA  to  the  EU  knowledge  base  regarding  the  drug 
phenomenon  continues  to  be  of  great  value  for  policy  makers  and  professionals.  In  2006  and 
2007  both  the  EMCDDA  and  Europol  delivered  a  series  of  reports  on  drug  demand  and  drug 
supply  in  Europe,  providing  policy  makers  and  implementing  agencies  with  up-to-date 
information on the drug situation and the responses to it. 

However,  the  overall  picture  of  drugs-related  research  in  the  27  Member  States  remains 
complex  and  fragmented,  and  lacking  an  overview  of  the  scientific  research  and  cooperation 
networks  and  the  existing  and  potential  areas  of  drugs-related  research.  The  Commission  will 
conduct an in-depth comparative analysis of research in the field of illicit drugs which is to be 
published in 2008.  

The  Commission's  Joint  Research  Centre  (JRC)  is  placing  more  emphasis  on  security-related 
research in its work programme 2007-2013 In 2007, agreement has been reached at Commission 
level  for  the  JRC  to  make  itself  available  to  the  Member  States  as  a  knowledge  base  for  a 
potential  European  network  in  the  field  of  forensic  profiling  of  illicit  drugs.  This  would 
build on current and previous Commission-funded projects in this area.  

Other Commission initiatives include the DRUID project to develop reliable roadside drugs-and-
driving checks and equipment, and EURITRACK (European Illicit Trafficking Countermeasure 
Kit), a project to develop a non-intrusive and safe method of detecting illicit materials concealed 
in shipping containers. 
The  Drugs  Prevention  and  Information  Programme20  (2007-2013),  will  provide  further 
funding for projects and studies in the field of drug demand reduction and policy analysis. 

IV.  CONCLUSIONS 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  EU  Drugs  Strategy  and  Action  Plans  –  as  a  policymaking  and 
implementation  process  –  are  creating  a  dynamic  that  is  bringing  the  Member  States  closer 
together. 

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The 2007 Progress Review reveals two important findings. 

(1) 

(2) 

Drug policies within the European Union are increasingly converging, while at the same 
time  respecting  the  individual  cultural  and  political  models  of  the  different  Member 
States. 

The  evidence-based  approach  adopted  for  the  Action  Plan  helps  us  to  identify  areas 
where improvements have to be made. 

Although it is too early to anticipate the 2008 evaluation, certain aspects are emerging:  

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the collecting or sharing of national data, particular on supply reduction and law 
enforcement needs to be improved (this was clear from the first annual review in 
2006);  

a methodology for positively linking the specific actions in the Action Plan with 
levels and patterns of drug production, trading and consumption as such is to be 
developed; 

indicators in the Action Plan should be properly aligned: some indicators do not 
provide information on the actions to which they refer; 

moreover, the lack of information and data on the impact the actions have on 
the drug situation reflects a wider problem of measuring the impact of public 
policy  on  specific  and  complex  social  problems.  Available  data  do  not  always 
provide a proper insight as to whether the outputs of the Action Plan have had an 
impact on the problem they are trying to address. 

The Commission will further explore these issues during the final evaluation of the EU Action 
Plan  on  Drugs  2005-2008.  The  Commission  proposal  for  the  next  EU  Action  Plan  on  Drugs 
2009-2012  will  place  particular  emphasis  on  a  more  rigorous  matching  of  specific  actions  to 
their indicators and assessment tools. 

The  annual  reviews  of  the  EU  Action  Plan  on  Drugs  over  the  period  2006-2007  have 
strengthened the Commission's firm conviction that drug policies need to be based on objective, 
best  available  evidence  to  achieve  effective  –  and  cost-effective  –  policies;  that  drug  policies 
should reflect the fundamental values on which the European Union is built; and that they need 
to combine a proportional but resolute law enforcement effort against illicit trade and production 
with extensive prevention, harm reduction, treatment and rehabilitation. This is the duty we have 
to the citizens of Europe. 

The Commission recommends the Council to endorse this Progress Review. 

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   EN