Gradin bids to step up fight against drugs

Date: 20/05/1999

By Gareth Harding

THE European Commission will call next week for action to step up the fight against drug abuse, one of the fastest growing cross-border problems in the Union and one of the issues of greatest concern to its citizens.

The Commission is expected to endorse a five-year action plan next Wednesday (26 May) which will focus on combating synthetic drugs, reducing narcotics supply and demand, and integrating drug control into the Union's foreign policy.

The blueprint proposed by outgoing Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Anita Gradin is intended to replace the current drugs strategy, which expires at the end of this year.

The main strength of the present programme, according to a policy paper drafted by her officials, is the exchange of information about the extent of the drugs problem between the EU's 15 member states.

However, it admits that implementation of the 1995-99 action plan has been hamstrung by the lack of a coherent approach to tackling organised crime and the fact that drugs issues are not integrated into other policies such as health and social affairs.

The paper says the Amsterdam Treaty will go a long way towards addressing these shortcomings. The new treaty boosts the EU's ability to shape health policy and gives it the power to introduce drug-prevention measures. It also strengthens police cooperation in the fight against organised crime, terrorism and drug trafficking.

Under the Commission's proposal, the EU would continue to focus on reducing the supply and demand for drugs and stepping up international cooperation over the next five years. But it would also give priority to new challenges such as synthetic drugs and urban delinquency.

The paper notes that the growing popularity of drugs like amphetamines and ecstasy among young people has led to new strategies to deal with the problem. An early warning system for new synthetic drugs has recently been set up and legislation is in the pipeline. Gradin's action plan also calls for "social measures to prevent the onset of addiction" amongst juveniles and for drug-related crime statistics to be collected at EU level.

If adopted, the measures are likely to be warmly welcomed by the public. In the latest Europe-wide opinion poll, almost 90% of citizens referred to the fight against organised crime and drug trafficking as a priority, making it second in importance to combating unemployment.