Jim Mitchell
Question:26 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps which are being taken at EU level to assist and encourage illegal drug producing countries to produce alternative crops. [12840/00]
Written Answers. - EU Drugs Strategy.
At the Helsinki European Council in December 1999, Heads of State and Government adopted a European Union Drugs Strategy for 2000 to 2004. This succeeded the EU Drugs Strategy 1995-99 and sought to continue the existing global, multidisciplinary, integrated and balanced approach of the EU to the worldwide drugs problem, while placing a new emphasis on evaluation. The strategy also sets out the aims and targets of EU anti-drugs activities during the period, whereby the Union will implement the action plans and measures adopted at the UN Special Session on the World Drug Problem in 1998; intensify its cooperation with the UN, other international organisations and NGOs; and integrate its drug related activities into the broader objectives of external relations and development.
Within these overall goals, the new EU drugs strategy seeks to address the problem in a balanced way by seeking to reduce both supply and demand. On the supply side, one of the key aims of this strategy is to reduce illicit cultivation by actions such as the promotion of alternative development. On the subject of alternative development, the strategy document asserts that:
Development co-operation should assist population groups that are giving up illegal crops to create alternative sources of income. Particularly important in this context are programmes of alternative development in countries producing illicit drug plants, in co-ordination with UNDCP where appropriate.
In 1999, the EU committed 9.8 million euro to North-South co-operation schemes in the context of the campaign against drug abuse and in 1998 a total of almost 8 million ECU. Payments so far in 2000 are almost 10.5 million euro. From the statistics available to us, it is difficult to extrapolate full details of the individual projects supported by the EU. We have asked the European Commission for full details of the schemes and they are working on our request. As soon as full details become available I will, of course, forward them to the Deputy.