‘Robust accord’ needed to find common drugs strategy

Date: 19/06/03

THE executive director of the EU's drugs agency has called for a more coordinated effort in the war against drugs.

Georges Estievenart, of the Lisbon-based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, said the accession of ten states to the Union next May will be a particular challenge: "Enlargement poses new challenges to the European drugs strategy because of the risk of increased trafficking through the candidate countries and the growing problem of addiction and the spread of infectious diseases in future member states."

He stressed "the need for a robust accord on drugs to provide a basis for a common approach to drugs between both present and future member states".

While there is a consensus on the need for international coordination of efforts, there remains a "lack of clarity" about what this should involve, he added.

The chief of the EU drygs agency, Georges Estievenart, has called for a more co-ordinated effort in the fight against drugs.