Brussels, 09/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - At their last meeting on Thursday 3 June, EU home ministers adopted a European pact to combat international drug trafficking. Presented by the French minister of the interior, Brice Hortefeux, the document aims to place in common not only the means but also the measures taken by the EU27 to disrupt heroin and cocaine trafficking routes. In under five years, West Africa has become the preferred transit area for cocaine from Latin America (30-40% of cocaine consumed in Europe goes through West Africa). Heroin routes, which cross Turkey and the Balkans, are, on the other hand, increasingly diversified. The pact focuses on two substances - cocaine and heroin - mainly due to the rapid increase in European consumption of these substances in the past few years. The number of Europeans having already consumed cocaine is estimated at 13 million, with 1.5 million having already tried heroin. The pact is based on three objectives: - disrupting cocaine routes, disrupting heroin routes, and tackling drug money. The main measures set out in the pact are:
Disruption of cocaine routes: - strengthening of European regional information exchange centres set up in West Africa and Accra (Ghana) and Dakar (Senegal) with the deployment of EU member state police officers; - the establishment, to the advantage of this network of liaison officers, of a secure ICT network put in place to secure a link with Europol and European drug trafficking platforms - the CECLAD-M in Toulon and the MAOC-N in Lisbon; - implementation of specific measures intended to develop interception at sea, mainly off the western coast of Africa; - the creation of an inventory of maritime means available for intercepting vessels carrying drugs, and the signing, with the states of West Africa concerned and with the states whose flag is often used by traffickers, of agreements aimed at facilitating the boarding and search of boats under suspicion; - and the establishment of more operational relations with the partners of Europe involved in the area of cocaine, the United States and Brazil in particular.
Disruption of heroin routes via: - coordinated deployment along heroin trafficking routes of police and agents of other EU member state law enforcement bodies thanks to the fresh impetus given to the existing network of liaison officers, who will be supported by regional centres for combating organised crime such as SEDLEC in Bucharest and CARICC in Kazakhstan; - opening of the difficult dossier relating to precursors (chemical components that allow pure drugs to be diluted) - joint work will be carried out on ways to achieve effective traceability of these products which come into the composition of drugs (acetic anhyride, for example), thus facilitating the dismantling of networks; - and the establishment of more operational relations with Russia, Turkey and a number of Balkan States, which are essential players for disrupting heroin routes.
These first two objectives will require massive commitment on the part of candidate states in combating drugs trafficking, making this a criteria for EU membership.
Countering the proceeds of crime: - The rapid setting in place in all EU member states, by end 2010, of criminal asset recovery agencies: - the bolstering of these agencies with human and operational means; - Europol involvement in order to identify and follow up illegal drug-related financial circuits on a European scale; - the setting in place of training programmes for third countries to help them acquire similar instruments; - the use of drug money seized to strengthen means available to states in order to combat drug trafficking. A precise deadline is fixed for each measure foreseen in the pact and the Council ensures a follow-up mechanism on the basis of an assessment by the internal security committee (COSI). The pact is only a first act. It opens the way to more initiatives on other kinds of narcotic products (cannabis and synthetic drugs). (B.C./transl.jl)