Subsidiarity assessment: New psychoactive substances

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Series Details (2013-14)HL 73
Publication Date 2013
ISBN 978-0-10-855146-8
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The UK House of Lords EU Committee, on 4 November 2013, called on the European Commission to think again about a new proposed Regulation and Directive to transfer the power to ban and regulate new psychoactive substances from Member States to the European Commission.

The Committee shared the Commission's concerns about the risk that these substances posed to all EU citizens, and stated that it supported the EU's work towards common definitions and information-sharing assisted by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), as well as Europol's efforts to fight drug trafficking more generally. However, it did not agree that the best place to take decisions to ban new psychoactive substances was at EU level. This did not allow the requisite level of flexibility for Member States to respond rapidly to local situations and to make their own decisions about the threats posed by new psychoactive substances and the appropriate response. The Committee also considered that the proposed Regulation and Directive do not comply with the Principle of Subsidiarity.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldselect/ldeucom/73/7302.htm
Related Links
UK: House of Lords: Select Committee on the European Union: 6th Report (2013-14)HL 73 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldselect/ldeucom/73/73.pdf
UK: UK Parliament: News, 04.11.13: Power to ban legal highs should remain with Member States http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/eu-home-affairs-sub-committee-f-/news/nps-reasoned-opinion-publication/
ESO: Background information: European Commission takes decisive action against legal highs http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-european-commission-takes-decisive-action-against-legal-highs/

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