On 19 October 2011, the European Commission announced a public consultation on drug policy.
For this consultation, a private company was hired (the Rand Corporation). This company organises the consultation through a survey which can only be filled in by people who receive a special code.
We do not know who are the people who receive this code, how they are selected, on which criteria, who they represent, on which evidence their responses are based.
We know some of those who receive this code are those who integrate the socalled Civil Society Forum. Most of them do not represent anyone but a small group of individuals who depend from governmental support. Those organisations are recognised by the European Commission as civil society counterparts not because they represent anyone, but because they support a status quo in drug policies. Thus the voices that call for a profound reform of drug policies, coming from a large majority of those who are affected and concerned with drugs out there where the issues are happening, can safely be considered as “marginal”.
This is what democracy looks like in the European Union.
Please now use the following link for the survey: http://smapp2.rand.org/surv4/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=l4L1ll4
The deadline for making contributions to this public consultation is Wednesday 16 November 2011 at 6pm. The consultation format is a survey composed of open and closed questions.
It is not possible to attach documents to the survey, but you will be able to summarise any key document whose main messages are relevant to the questions of this consultation in the text boxes at the end of the survey. We kindly request that you respect the word limit, as any text provided in excess of the word limit will not be taken into account.
In case of technical difficulties, or for further information on the stakeholder consultation or the evaluation of the EU Drugs Strategy 2005-2012 and Actions Plans, please contact Deirdre Culley.
Introduction: the evaluation of the EU Drugs Strategy 2005-2012 and Action Plans
In 2004, the European Council endorsed the EU Drug Strategy 2005-2012, which provided the political framework for cooperation and coordination in the field of illicit drugs in the EU. The Strategy included key objectives and priorities on coordination, on demand and supply reduction, on international cooperation and on information, research and evaluation in the field drugs. The objectives and priorities of the Strategy were implemented through two subsequent EU Drug Action Plans, covering the periods from 2005-2008 and 2009-2012.
By 2012, the current EU Drug Strategy will come and will be evaluated. It is within this context that the EC has contracted RAND Europe and IPSOS Mori to conduct an independent external evaluation of the implementation of the EU Drugs Strategy 2005-2012 and its Action Plans.
Purpose of this stakeholder consultation
This stakeholder consultation aims to gauge perceptions and views on the added value of the 2005-2012 EU Drugs Strategy for EU cooperation, its strengths and weaknesses, and its specific added value, influence or impact for your area of work or for the work of your organisation. Furthermore, to help inform the development of future drugs strategies, the consultation aims to capture your views on how the EU can best support your work in the field of drugs, including sharing your views on priorities and key approaches for EU drug policy.
Target group of this stakeholder consultation
This consultation targets non-governmental organisations, research communities, advocacy groups, local and/or regional communities involved in activities and policies concerning the illicit drug phenomenon, EU cooperation and/ or EU drug policy. This includes organisations within EU Member States, organisations operating at EU level, but also organisations and structures that are affected and/ or influenced by the activities carried out in the framework of the EU Drug Strategy and its EU Drug Action Plans. National governments are excluded from this consultation as these are surveyed through other parts of the external evaluation.
The information you provide will be hosted and analysed by RAND Europe. The results of the consultation will be integrated in the final evaluation report without named attribution. The data provided will be held under standard data protection rules and regulations once the consultation closes.
Background information
In accordance with the EU Treaties, drug policy remains primarily the competence of EU Member States. However, in order to coordinate drug policy at EU level, the EU has adopted EU Drug Strategies and Action Plans to provide a common framework and objectives for action in the field of drugs. The current strategy, the EU Drug Strategy 2005-2012, was enacted unanimously to promote cooperation, exchange and enable a common approach to tackling drugs. The EU drug strategy does not prescribe national drug policy, but proposes set of objectives and action, that Member States can adopt in accordance with their own national policies, needs and culture.
The European Commission (EC) has a complementary and coordinating role in the field of drug policy. The EC may initiate legislation on illicit drugs within the legislative framework of the EU Treaties, and can propose objectives and actions for coordinated EU drug policy. It further monitors and evaluates the implementation of EU drugs policy. The EC provides important support to the collection and analysis of drugs data, as well as the exchange of information and best-practices, through the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).
The EC also supports building an evidence-base on drugs by commissioning scientific and policy-relevant research and supporting evaluation, which forms the basis for cooperation and coherence between Member States. The Commission is the main funder of cross-border projects and programmes in the field of drugs in the EU and towards non-EU countries. Finally, the Commission aims to engage civil society across the EU, through the Civil Society Forum on Drugs, but also through different projects, activities and events.
Aims and objectives of the EU Drug Strategy 2005-2012
The Drug Strategy has had the aim of adding value to national drug strategies while respecting the principles of subsidiarity[1] and proportionality set out in the Treaties. The Strategy stressed that Member States should consider the impact of their national strategies on other Member States, consider the ways national strategies of different Member States could be mutually supportive, and consider how such strategies could contribute to achieving the objectives of this EU Strategy. It has also intended to allow scope for local, regional, national and transnational dynamics and potentialities and to make optimal use of the resources available.
The Drug Strategy covers two vertical pillars, drug demand reduction and drug supply reduction, and three horizontal themes: coordination, international cooperation and information, research and evaluation. For each of these pillars and themes, it includes results that should be achieved by 2012, with a series of related priorities. These priorities were subsequently each translated into specific objectives and actions in the EU Drug Action Plans.
Documents and reports
The key documents relevant for this public consultation can be found by clicking on the following links to website of the European Commission, DG Justice under the section Drug Control Policy.
· EU Drug Action Plan 2005-2008:
· EU Drug Action Plan 2009-2012:
· Evaluation EU Drug Action Plan 2005-2008:
This website provides a wide range of other information:
For information on the drug situation in Europe, a wide range of information can be found on the website of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA): www.emcdda.europa.eu. Information on drug-related crime and law enforcement can be found on the website of the European Law Enforcement Agency Europol.
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