REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 2010 progress review of the EU Drugs Action Plan (2009-2012)
Date: 2010-11-05
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: action programme, cooperation policy, drug addiction, drug traffic, fight against crime, impact study, international cooperation, social problem

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 5.11.2010 
COM(2010) 630 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 

2010 progress review of the EU Drugs Action Plan (2009-2012) 

SEC(2010) 1321 

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REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 

2010 progress review of the EU Drugs Action Plan (2009-2012)  

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The latest estimates for the EU as a whole indicate that 25 to 30 million adults — aged 15 to 
64 — have taken some type of illicit drug in the last year1. Between 1.2 and 1.5 million adults 
are  problem  opioid  users.  Every  year,  6 500  to  7 000  people  die  in  the  EU  from  a  drug 
overdose.  Recent  data  suggest  that,  after  remaining  stable  for  several  years,  the  number  of 
drug-induced deaths in the EU is now going up, mainly because of an increase in the number 
of deaths from cocaine overdoses. 

Although there is increasing evidence that consumption of cannabis, the most popular drug in 
Europe,  has  declined  in  recent  years,  use  of  cocaine  and  heroin,  which  are  at  the  root  of 
Europe’s drug problem, has not.  

Over the last decade, drug use patterns have changed in most EU Member States. Earlier, 
relatively  confined  marginalised  groups  of  problem  drug  users  were  consuming  mostly 
opiates and cocaine, whereas today socially integrated individuals are increasingly using illicit 
drugs recreationally, combining substances without necessarily slipping into dependence.  

While poly-drug use has become the norm, the distinction between consumption of licit and 
illicit psychoactive substances is gradually fading. In addition to combined use of traditional 
licit and illicit psychoactive substances, such as alcohol and cocaine, drug users have access 
to  a  broad  range  of  new  substances  (‘legal  highs’)  that  are  sold  over  the  internet,  in  ‘head 
shops’ or by street-dealers. 

Illicit  drugs  are  a  complex  social  problem,  which  require  a  long-term,  integrated  and 
multidisciplinary  approach.  A  report  written  for  the  Commission  on  developments  in  the 
global  illicit  drugs  market  between  1998  and  20072  found  no  evidence  of  any  improvement 
over this period. In some countries the problem diminished but in others it worsened, in some 
cases sharply. The drugs problem generally lessened in rich countries, including EU Member 
States, but worsened in a few large developing or transition countries. The study concluded 
that  while  measures  against  production  can  affect  where  drugs  are  produced,  there  is  no 
evidence  that  they  can  reduce  total  global  production.  And  although  law  enforcement  can 
produce  changes  in  trafficking  routes,  it  does  not  appear  to  reduce  substantially  and 
sustainably the quantity of drugs on the market.  

The EU Drugs Strategy for 2005-20123 and the two Drugs Action Plans to implement it have 
consolidated the EU’s coherent approach to the problem. Drugs policy is, to a large extent, 

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European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), 2009 Annual Report on the 
State  of  the  Drugs  Problem  in  Europe.  Combined  estimates  include  22.5  million  cannabis  users  and 
4 million cocaine users. 
JLS/2007/C4/005 — Detailed analysis of the operation of the world market in illicit drugs and of policy 
measures to curtail it. 
15074/04 CORDROGUE 77, 22.11.2004. 

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the  responsibility  of  the  Member  States.  The  Commission  makes  a  major  contribution  to 
EU  drugs  policy-making  by  ensuring  overall  coherence,  helping  coordinate  EU  positions  in 
international fora, playing a central role in the mechanism to control new drugs and providing 
funding  and  expertise.  The  Commission  is  responsible  for  formulating,  monitoring  and 
evaluating  the  EU  Drugs  Action  Plans.  For  the  first  time,  the  Stockholm  Programme4  has 
entrusted it with the task of drafting the new post-2012 EU Drugs Strategy.  

This Report sums up the main findings of the 2010 progress review of the EU Drugs Action 
Plan (2009-2012)5, which is presented in detail in the annex. 

2. 

METHOD 

The  EU  Drugs  Action  Plan  (2009-2012)  identifies  the  main  parties  responsible  and  sets 
deadlines for each specific action. This review, which covers 2009 and the first half of 20106, 
benefited  from  valuable  contributions  from  the  European  Monitoring  Centre  for  Drugs  and 
Drug  Addiction  (EMCDDA)  and  Europol.  For  some  individual  measures,  the  Commission 
conducted a written survey among the Member States. No information is given on actions not 
yet  due  in  2010.  Implementation  is  measured  against  the  indicators7  specified  in  the  Action 
Plan.  

3. 

HIGHLIGHTS  

Achievements:  

(1) 

(2) 

Injecting drug use, one of the main causes of the spread of blood-borne infections, is 
declining in the EU. The prevalence of new HIV cases among drug users is falling, 
possibly  as  a  result  of  substantial  investment  by  Member  States  in  harm-reduction 
measures over the last decade, as requested by the Drugs Action Plans. 

Law enforcement agencies have stepped up their cooperation beyond the EU’s borders 
to combat drug trafficking. Member States have set up two ‘cooperation platforms’ 
to share intelligence and coordinate capacity-building in West Africa, a strategic hub 
on  the  cocaine  trafficking  route,  one  in  Ghana  (led  by  the  UK)  the  other  in  Senegal 
(led by France). In June 2010 the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council adopted the 
European  Pact  to  combat  international  drug  trafficking  —  disrupting  cocaine  and 
heroin  routes,  in  order  to  improve  coordination  between  various  anti-trafficking 
schemes. This provides a major opportunity to interconnect all structures tackling drug 
trafficking along the major smuggling routes.  

(3) 

In  2009,  the  Commission  presented  a  strategy8  to  strengthen  EU  cooperation  on 
drug-related  research.  This  will  help  underpin  evidence-based  drug  policies  and 
develop the necessary policy responses to reduce the adverse health and social impacts 

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Communication  from  the  Commission  ‘An  area  of  freedom,  security  and  justice  serving  the  citizen’, 
COM(2009) 262, 3.9.2009. 
OJ C 326, 20.12.2008. 
Statistical data cover full calendar years only. 
An indicator is a tool by which the progress or achievement of an action or objective can be measured. 
SEC(2009) 1631 final of 23 November 2009. 

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of drug use in our societies. The EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan state that drugs 
policy should be based on objective facts and scientific evidence.  

Challenges to address: 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

(9) 

After remaining stable for several years at around 6 500 to 7 000 per year, the number 
of drug-induced deaths in the EU seems to be increasing, possibly by as much as 5 % 
in 2008. 

The frequent emergence of new psychoactive substances (‘legal highs’) has become a 
major challenge for drugs policy. Member States are struggling to contain the spread 
of  new  drugs,  posing  health  and  social  risks  which  are  largely  unknown.  Borderless 
sales  channels  such  as  the  internet  and  the  speed  with  which  newly  controlled 
substances are replaced by new ones on the market further complicate their task.  

The Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre Narcotics (MAOC-N)9, set up in 2007 
to target trafficking  across the Atlantic  Ocean, coordinated operations that led to the 
seizure  of  43  tonnes  of  cocaine  and  21  tonnes  of  hashish  in  its  first  two  years  in 
operation.  But  drug-trafficking  networks  have  swiftly  changed  their  smuggling 
routes and methods to circumvent the barriers set up by EU Member States to disrupt 
their trade. Recent data suggest that seizures following operations coordinated by both 
MAOC-N  and  CeCLAD-M10,  set  up  in  2008  to  tackle  trafficking  across  the 
Mediterranean Sea, have decreased considerably.  

At UN level, negotiations were concluded in 2009 on a new Political Declaration and 
Plan of Action to counter the global drugs problem. The EU advocated drugs policies 
that  are  balanced  and  evidence-based  and  that  respect  human  rights  and  human 
dignity,  but  its  negotiating  position  was  weakened  by  divergences  between  its 
Member States.  

Over the last two years the external policy on drugs has sometimes focused too much 
on  security.  Bilateral  agreements  concluded  by  EU  Member  States  with  non-EU 
countries concentrated mostly on cooperation on supply reduction.  

The economic downturn has eroded the budgets allocated to drugs policy at national 
level.  The  Commission  is  concerned  about  the  reduction  of  co-funding  for  national 
focal points (NFP) in the Member States. In 2009, almost one fifth of NFPs found it 
difficult  to  make  full  use  of  the  grant  provided  by  the  REITOX  network  of  NFPs, 
which  is  coordinated  by  the  European  Monitoring  Centre  for  Drugs  and  Drug 
Addiction  (EMCDDA),  since  they  could  not  obtain  a  matching  national  grant.  This 
could have a negative impact on the quality and sustainability of drugs monitoring in 
the EU.  

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MAOC-N was set up by France, the UK, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Italy and the Netherlands. Germany, 
the US, Canada, Cape Verde, Morocco and Greece are observers, as are the European Commission and 
Europol.  MAOC-N  is  co-financed  by  the  Commission  and  is  based  on  an  international  treaty  which 
came into force in 2009. 
CeCLAD-M (Centre de Coordination pour la Lutte Anti-drogue en Méditerranée) was set up by France, 
Spain, Portugal, Italy, Malta, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania and Libya. 

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4. 

SUMMARY OF RESULTS  

The  information  provided  in  this  Report  and  the  annex  reflects  mainly  outputs  (activities 
undertaken).  This  review  comes  too  early  for  outcome  analysis  (is  the  action  effective  for 
achieving  the  objective?)  and impact analysis (is the drug situation improving as a result of 
the action?). The final evaluation of the EU Drugs Strategy 2005-2012 and of the EU Drugs 
Action  Plan  2009-2012,  which  will  be  launched  next  year,  will  provide  such  outcome  and 
impact  analyses.  The  main  outputs  reflect  the  five  key  objectives  of  the  EU  Drugs  Action 
Plan: improving coordination and cooperation, reducing the demand for drugs and the supply 
of drugs and improving international cooperation and our understanding of the problem.  

4.1. 

Improving coordination and cooperation 

Given  the  cross-sector  nature  of  the  drugs  problem,  coordination  between  different  policy 
areas at EU level is crucial for an effective response. The Horizontal Drugs Group (HDG), a 
Council working party, is the main body for coordinating drugs policy at EU level. The EU 
Presidencies  have  been  pursuing  an  agenda  in  the  HDG  that  has  closely  followed  the  EU 
Drugs  Action  Plan.  But  the  involvement  of  other  Council  working  parties  in  drugs  policy-
making — mostly law enforcement related — has at times caused uncertainty about the role 
of the HDG.  

It is essential to maintain a coherent, horizontal approach, in order to avoid EU drugs policy 
putting greater emphasis on law enforcement to the detriment of action to reduce demand.  

Almost  all  EU  Member  States  report  closer  involvement  of  civil  society  organisations  in 
formulation, implementation and  sometimes evaluation  of drugs  policy  at national level. As 
part of the European Action on Drugs, the Commission has involved almost 700 civil society 
players  in  campaigns  to  raise  awareness  about  drugs  at  national  or  local  level  and  has 
continued consultations with the Civil Society Forum on Drugs. 

4.2. 

Reducing the demand for drugs  

Member  States  still  need  to  improve  their  drug-prevention  programmes,  in  order  to  make 
them more effective and evidence-based. EU countries are still running universal prevention 
programmes,  although 
ineffective,  whereas  selective  prevention 
programmes  targeting  vulnerable  groups  still  offer  inadequate  coverage  in  most  Member 
States.  Most  Member  States  have  a  small  number  of  such  prevention  programmes  targeted, 
for  instance,  on  recreational  and  nightlife  settings.  In  general,  the  effectiveness  of  these 
programmes is evaluated more often than that of other preventive action.  

they  have  proved 

Harm  reduction  policies  and  interventions  in  the  EU  Member  States  have  progressed,  but 
major differences exist between countries in the level of implementation of specific measures, 
reflecting their individual drug situation as well as policy priorities. 

Of the estimated 1 million Europeans who received drug-related treatment in 2007, most of 
them opioid users, almost 670 000 were enrolled in substitution treatment. Opioid substitution 
treatment  (using  methadone  or  buprenorphine),  combined  with  psychosocial  assistance,  is 
deemed to be the most effective treatment for opioid users. To date, no substitution treatment 
is available for cocaine and amphetamine dependence. 

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Most  Member  States  have  evidence-based  or  good  practice  guidelines  for  drug  treatment, 
although few make implementation of such guidelines a pre-condition for public funding of 
treatment services.  

Drug-related health services are provided in at least some prisons in every Member State, 
but  they  generally  reach  few  prisoners.  Regular  drug  use  is  still  more  prevalent  among 
prisoners than among the general population, by 3 % in some countries and as much as 77 % 
in  others.  The  most  harmful  forms  of  drug  use  seem  to  be  more  frequent  among  prisoners, 
including injection. 

HIV infections among drug users in the EU are generally falling. But after an initial decline 
in drug-induced deaths at the beginning of this decade, which levelled off to 6 500 to 7 000 per 
year, initial data for 2008 show that the number could be increasing and that ever more deaths 
are caused by cocaine overdoses. 

Very  limited  information  is  available  on  the  existence  and  nature  of  social  reintegration 
programmes for drug users in the Member States. 

4.3. 

Reducing the supply of drugs  

Europol’s annual organised crime threat assessment is increasingly being used to set priorities 
in the fight against drug trafficking.  

Cooperation between Europol and the Member States on the three COSPOL projects ─ on 
cocaine (COLA), heroin (MUSTARD) and synthetic drugs (SYNERGY) ─ has improved in 
recent  years.  The  European  Drug  Profiling  System,  co-financed  by  the  Commission,  was 
launched  in  February  2010.  This  project,  which  brings  together  forensic  laboratories  from 
across  the  EU  to  develop  forensic  analysis  of  drugs,  could  boost  capacity  to  identify  and 
dismantle drug trafficking networks, if the law enforcement community is closely involved.  

A  2009  Commission  report11  on 
implementation  of  Council  Framework  Decision 
2004/757/JHA  of  25  October  2004  laying  down  minimum  provisions  on  the  constituent 
elements  of  criminal  acts  and  penalties  in  the  field  of  illicit  drug  trafficking12  showed  an 
increase in the number of drug trafficking cases submitted to Eurojust over the previous five 
years,  suggesting  that  judicial  cooperation  in  this  field  has  improved.  However,  some 
countries  had  not  even  transposed  the  Framework  Decision  and  the  report  concluded  that 
disparities persisted between legal systems in the Member States. Assessments of the Council 
Framework Decisions on freezing orders and on confiscation orders reached similar findings.  

Overall,  law  enforcement  agencies  should  share  more  timely  information  on  operations,  for 
instance on asset recovery, and Member States’ contributions to some of Europol’s analysis 
work files on drugs are still unsatisfactory.  

Over the last three  years,  EU Member States have set up maritime cooperation centres to 
share intelligence and coordinate joint operations against drug trafficking across the Atlantic 
Ocean (MAOC-N) and the Mediterranean Sea (CeCLAD-M) plus ‘cooperation platforms’ in 
West Africa. But after initial successes, seizures of drugs following operations coordinated by 

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SEC(2009) 1661. 
OJ L 335, 11.11.2004, pp. 8–11. 

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these  centres  have  dropped  in  recent  months.  The  high  versatility  of  trafficking  networks, 
which have swiftly changed their routes and methods, seems to be the main reason for this.  

An evaluation of the EU’s drug precursor legislation was completed in 2009. The Council 
subsequently  recommended proposing legislative  amendments after carefully assessing their 
potential  impact  on  Member  States'  authorities  and  economic  operators13.  At  international 
level,  the  signing  and  implementation  of  an  agreement  between  the  EU  and  China  on  drug 
precursor control and the launching of negotiations with Russia on a similar accord were the 
main achievements. 

4.4. 

Improving international cooperation 

In the period under review, 15 Member States concluded bilateral agreements with non-EU 
countries, which also address cooperation in the field of drugs, mostly on supply reduction. 
Such  agreements  were  reached  with  countries  in  Eastern  Europe  and  Central  Asia  (Russia, 
Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Belarus and Armenia), the Western Balkans and the Middle-
East, Latin America and Asia. 

At EU level, projects supported  by  EU external assistance  programmes continue to cover 
reduction  of  both  supply  of  and  demand  for  drugs  in  addition  to  alternative  development. 
Funding  for  supply-reduction  projects  and,  in  particular,  for  capacity-building  to  combat 
trafficking  increased  during  the  period  under  review,  on  the  basis  of  programmes  adopted 
under the long-term part of the Instrument for Stability.  

The  Commission  is  continuing  to  give  priority  to  support  for  comprehensive  alternative 
development  programmes,  which  aim  at  giving  farmers  an  economically  viable,  legal 
alternative to growing drug crops, in particular in the Andean countries. The Commission is 
mainstreaming  the  EU’s  approach  in  its  broader  development  agenda.  But  alternative 
development does not seem to be a specifically targeted priority for many Member States, as 
only  a  few  report  that  alternative  development  is  a  structural  part  of  their  international 
development  policy.  During  the  period  under  review,  the  EU  developed  a  new  cooperation 
programme  with  Latin  America  on  drugs  policies,  focusing  on  consolidating  the  EU–Latin 
American–Caribbean  Mechanism  on  Drugs,  strengthening  national  drugs  observatories  in 
Latin American countries and building capacity for reducing demand and supply. 

The  EU  is  developing  its  cooperation  with  West  African  countries,  in  particular  through 
support to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)'s Praia Action Plan 
on Drugs. Appropriation by the countries concerned by the fight against drug trafficking and 
cooperation with regional organisations, in particular ECOWAS, are crucial in order to tackle 
the  "partnerships  of  convenience"  developed  between  different  kinds  of  criminal  groups. 
Coherence  between  internal  and  external  action  against  drug  trafficking,  ensured  by  the 
Commission and the Council, is of paramount importance. 

Coordination  of  EU  Member  States’  positions  within  the  United  Nations  Commission  on 
Narcotic  Drugs  (CND)  showed  a  mixed  picture  over  the  last  two  years.  During  the  2009 
negotiations on a new UN Political Declaration and Plan of Action on drugs, the united EU 
front cracked at the final stage, as two EU Member States withdrew support for including the 
term ‘harm reduction’ in the declaration.  

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3016th COMPETITIVENESS Council meeting Brussels, 25 May 2010 

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Although  measures  have  been  taken  to  reinforce  EU  synchronisation  in  UN  institutions, 
coordination between delegations to the UN fora in Vienna and the Horizontal Drugs Group 
in Brussels need to be further improved.  

Finally,  cooperation  in  the  field  of  drugs  with  European  neighbourhood  and  candidate 
countries  focused  mainly  on  the  fight  against  trafficking,  institution-building,  drug 
monitoring  and  demand  reduction.  The  EMCDDA  continued  to  cooperate  with  Croatia, 
Turkey  and  the  Western  Balkan  countries  on  setting  up  drug  information  and  monitoring 
this 
mechanisms.  Under 
cooperation  is  set  to  be  expanded  to  the  countries  covered by  the  European  Neighbourhood 
Policy.  

the  European  Neighbourhood  and  Partnership  Instrument, 

4.5. 

Improving our understanding of the problem 

During  the  period  under  review,  the  Commission  launched  several  moves  to  highlight  the 
strategic  importance  of  drug-related  research.  These  aimed  at  identifying  research  gaps, 
improving  coordination  between  the  policy  and  research  communities,  promoting  joint 
research activities between Member States and increasing the funds available for drug-related 
research.  In  2009,  under  the  Socio-Economic  Sciences  and  Humanities  programme  of  the 
Seventh  Framework  Programme  for  Research  (FP7),  the  Commission  launched  a  call  for 
research proposals targeting addictions, with a minimum EU contribution of € 6.5 million. In 
order to support joint research activities between Member States, the Commission has made 
€ 2 million available for the establishment of a European Research Area Network (ERA-NET) 
in  the  field  of  drugs.  The  2010  Security  Programme  under  the  FP7  includes  a  call  for 
proposals  on  the  unintended  consequences  of  drugs  policies  and  their  impact  on  EU 
security. A call for proposals for large collaborative projects (€6 to €12 million) in the field of 
'addictive disorders’ was also published in 2010 under the FP7 Health Theme. 

Furthermore, in recent years the Commission has allocated more than € 1.1 million to studies 
supporting implementation of the EU Drugs Action Plan for 2009-2012. The EMCDDA and 
the REITOX network contributed to improving understanding of the drugs problem with the 
aid of a broad range of publications.  

The  EMCDDA’s  early  warning  system  (EWS)  performed  well  on  early  notification  and 
assessment  of  new  drugs.  Twenty-four  new  psychoactive  substances  were  reported  to  the 
EWS in 2009, almost double the number notified in 2008. In 2010, the EMCDDA’s extended 
scientific  committee  carried  out  a  risk  assessment  of  mephedrone,  a  stimulant  similar  to 
ecstasy.  Based  on  this,  the  Commission  has  to  decide  whether  to  propose  to  the  Council  to 
make  the  substance  subject  to  control  measures.  The  speed  with  which  substances  that  are 
brought  under  control  at  national  or  EU  level  are  replaced  by  new  ones,  posing  health  and 
social  risks  which  have  to  be  ascertained,  makes  a  compelling  case  for  boosting  research 
capacity in the field of drugs in the EU. 

Finally,  in  2009  and  2010  the  Commission  and  the  EMCDDA  took  action  to  improve 
collection  of  data  on  drug  markets,  drug-related  crime  and  supply  reduction.  In  the 
second half of 2010, the Commission presented its proposals on improving the collection of 
data on drug markets, drug-related crime and drug-supply reduction measures in the European 
Union.  

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5. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The  50th  anniversary  of  the  1961  UN  Convention  on  Narcotic  Drugs  in  2011  provides  an 
opportunity  for  a  sobering  reflection  on  the  state  of  the  drugs  problem.  Over  the  last  half-
century, drugs have become a worldwide concern, affecting almost every country and putting 
the health and security of millions of people at risk. Countries are unable to come up, on their 
own, with effective answers to tackle the rapidly changing illicit drug trade.  

The  combined  use  of  licit  and  illicit  substances  and  the  blurring  of  boundaries  between  the 
two  has  become  a  major  challenge  for  drugs  policy.  Tackling  poly-drug  use  requires 
sophisticated policy responses, based on scientific research, that place drug dependence in a 
broader  addiction  framework.  Policy-makers  must  distinguish  between  various  consumption 
patterns and the different risk potential posed by the multitude of licit and illicit substances on 
the  market  in  order  to  provide  the  best  possible  policy  mix  for  protecting  public  health  and 
security.  

The  rapid  emergence  of  new  drugs  poses  a  major  challenge  to  policy-makers.  New 
substances  are  increasingly  appealing  both  to  consumers,  as  they  are  marketed  as  legal 
alternatives  to  illicit  drugs  (‘legal  highs’),  and  to  producers,  since  most  of  them  are  easily 
manufactured  and  distributed.  A  drugs  market  where  traditional  and  new,  licit  and  illicit, 
substances coexist requires comprehensive policy answers.  

The Commission is currently assessing implementation of Council Decision 2005/387/JHA14 
on  information  exchange,  risk  assessment  and  control  of  new  psychoactive  substances  and 
will present legislative proposals to amend it, so that it can tackle the expanding new drugs 
market better.  

The distinct rise in the number of drug-induced deaths in the EU calls for Member States to 
place greater emphasis on preventive measures. Improving drug-related health monitoring and 
health-care provision in prisons is one of the steps that need to be taken to reduce the number 
of fatalities.  

Mandatory safety instructions for nightlife settings could also help bring down the number of 
lethal drug incidents in the EU. 

Cooperation  in  regional  platforms  has  boosted  the  fight  against  drug  trafficking.  However, 
these bodies will not stand a lasting chance to dismantle drug trafficking networks unless they 
work  together,  by  fighting  networks  with  networks.  The  Commission  is  committed  to 
playing an active role in improving coordination between law enforcement bodies, targeting 
the  main  drug  smuggling  routes.  To  ensure  more  effective  law  enforcement  against  drug 
trafficking, greater emphasis must be put on policy analysis and evaluation of action in this 
field.  

In line with its balanced drugs policy and the principle of shared responsibility of nations in 
the face of a worldwide problem, the EU must put renewed emphasis on demand-reduction 
policies  in  relations  with  non-EU  countries.  Smuggling  of  drugs  bound  for  Europe  through 
regions  such  as  West  Africa  further  destabilises  these  transit  countries  and  stimulates  local 
demand for drugs. This could unleash an epidemic of problem drug use and HIV infections in 
countries  neighbouring  the  EU.  The  EU  must  ensure  that  its  external  assistance  addresses 

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OJ L 127, 20.5.2005, pp. 32–37. 

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these  challenges.  In  addition,  international  cooperation  against  the  illicit  trade  of  drug 
precursors must be stepped up.  

The current economic crisis could have an impact on the drugs situation in the EU, although 
understanding of this field is still limited and conclusions therefore need to be interpreted with 
caution.  Economic  hardship  and  the  feeling  of  insecurity  that  it  creates  amongst  vulnerable 
groups  could  lead  to  increased  drug  consumption,  as  some  individuals  might  be  tempted  to 
seek relief in drugs. Individuals who need to make a living in times of rising unemployment 
could be targeted by organised crime groups for involvement in small-scale manufacturing or 
selling  of  illicit  drugs.  Dependent  drug  users  might  have  difficulties  finding  money  to  buy 
drugs, which could result in higher-risk behaviour and a proliferation of drug-related crime. 
At  the  same  time,  budgetary  constraints  might  prompt  Member  States  to  scale  down 
prevention  or  treatment  services.  The  Commission  urges  Member  States  not  to  reduce 
financing for drug-related services, as this would have a negative impact on the health of 
those in need of therapy and the security of society in general. 

The  entry  into  force  of  the  Lisbon  Treaty  and  the  dismantling  of  the  pillar  structure  in  EU 
policy-making provides opportunities for better integration of all policy areas relevant to the 
drugs  problem.  The  Commission  will  develop  a  new  EU  Drugs  Strategy,  post-2012,  which 
will join together public health and social policies, law enforcement and external assistance in 
a coherent policy that places the individual at the heart of the action.  

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