Policy instruments and structures

• Author: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EU body or agency), Europol (EU body or agency)
• Pages: 194-207

194

EU drug supply reduction policy

Drug supply reduction is part of several policy areas at the

EU level and acore component of the drug strategies and

responses of Member States. is chapter looks at the

main EU policies and strategies addressing drug supply

reduction, the supporting institutional arrangements and

some key policy tools.

EU drug policy context

e production, tracking, distribution and use of illicit

drugs create arange of security and public health

challenges, spanning many levels and areas of public

policy. e illicit drug trade has aglobal impact and the

harms it gives rise to know no boundaries. Responding

to the trade in illicit drugs requires an equally extensive

approach, and the EU’s drug policy reects this reality.

It has been designed to be coherent with drug policy at

various levels. ese include the international level, through

the United Nations and regional organisations such as the

Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission, as well

as complementing the policies of the EU Member States

at the national level (Figure8.1). At the same time, EU drug

policy is situated within and connects to other areas of

EU policy where drug market-related issues arise. In this

way, the EU has developed an integrated, balanced and

evidence-based approach to drug policy.

e EU drugs strategy (2013-20) and action plan on drugs

(2017-20)(16) are key components of the framework for

responding to illicit drugs. Drug supply reduction is one

of the core elements in them. ese strategic documents

elaborate aset of measures developed with the Member

States to target the health and security issues raised

by the illicit drug trade. One of the strategy’s objectives

is to reduce the availability of illicit drugs by disrupting

(16) e EU drugs strategy (2013-20) and action plan on drugs (2017-20) are

going to be evaluated by the European Commission in 2019/20.

tracking, dismantling the OCGs involved, utilising the

criminal justice system and intelligence-led policing, and

targeting large-scale cross-border organised drug-related

crime (Council of the European Union, 2012, 2017).

To ensure ahigh level of internal security and protection

against organised crime, terrorism and cybercrime, the

EU has put in place arange of legal, practical and support

tools, notably the European Agenda on Security (European

Commission, 2015). e European Agenda on Security

is ashared agenda, between Member States and EU

institutions, and serves as the basis for cooperation and

joint action by the EU. It highlights anumber of actions

and instruments, including but not limited to the Schengen

Information System, the European Criminal Records

Information System and the EU Passenger Name Record

(PNR) system for airline passengers. Some of them are

elaborated on in this part of the report.

CHAPTER 8

Policy instruments and structures

Figure 8.1

Drug supply reduction strategies linked to the EU

policy context

International

Regional

National

Other relevant EU strategies

A Global Strategy for the European

Union’s Foreign and Security Policy

European Agenda on Security

(2015-20)

European Agenda on Migration

(2015-20)

European Maritime Security Strategy

and Action Plan

EU Strategy and Action

Plan for Customs Risk Management

European

EU DRUG MARKETS REPORT