Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 6 Feb 1996

Vol. 461 No. 1

Written Answers - Action Against Drugs.

Ray Burke

Question:

163 Mr. R. Burke asked the Minister for Justice the efforts, if any, the Government has made at European level to secure concerted action against drugs; the specific action, if any, she has taken on this matter at Council of Ministers level; and the degree of success she has achieved in this regard. [2422/96]

Minister for Justice (Mrs. Owen)

I refer the Deputy to my reply to his Parliamentary Question No. 34 on 14 December 1995. As stated in reply to that question, the Cannes European Council mandated a group of experts to submit to the Madrid European Council an analytical report dealing with the measures to be taken to ensure practical implementation of the medium-term plan to combat drugs which was approved by the Cannes Council. The Madrid European Council approved the expert report and stressed the urgency of translating these guidelines into precise, co-ordinated operational activities within the Union.

The Madrid Council invited the incoming Italian Presidency, in collaboration with the future Irish Presidency and after consultation with the member states, the Commission, the Europol Drugs Unit and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, to prepare a programme of activities which takes account of the guidelines in that report. The Dublin European Council will examine progress in the application of that report.

An ad hoc group has been established to oversee the translation of the recommendations of the expert report into co-ordinated operational activities within the Union. This group will oversee a series of practical measures aimed at demand reduction, the reduction of illicit trafficking, international co-operation, and co-ordination between national authorities, EU institutions and international organisations. Measures to combat illicit trafficking will focus on the Union's external borders, intra-EU actions, preventing the diversion of precursors, money laundering, training and judicial co-operation.

The Madrid Council also mandated that a group be established to develop a mechanism for co-operation between the European Union and Latin America, including the Caribbean to combat drug trafficking. This group is considering consumption, production, processing, transit, money laundering and trade of precursor chemicals.

The Italian Presidency has begun implementing a joint declaration to combat drug trafficking agreed by the member states, the Commission and the Ministers of the Andean Group under the Spanish Presidency. A meeting with the group is scheduled for March this year to consider practical measures to tackle the fight against drugs e.g. illicit drugs production, the criminal organisations controlling the trafficking routes towards Europe, chemical precursors and EU training and assistance.

As outlined in my previous reply, Ireland secured funding in excess of £200,000 for a pilot training exchange programme which focuses on the development of joint strategies, methods and closer co-operation in policing drug trafficking in the European Union. The first phase of this programme commenced last week. Delegates from the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland exchanged views on operational measures to combat drugs trafficking and on informal co-operation between member states regarding such measures.