Brussels, 07/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - Member states decided on 20 December 2007 that the EU should push the issue of drugs up the political agenda of the relationship with West Africa. This region is, today, the main cocaine trafficking hub between Latin America and Europe. An estimated 240 tonnes of the drug passes through Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, a region which has been called the “white triangle”, every year. Given this worrying situation, ministers agreed that there had to be close cooperation with the competent political organisations from the African side, namely ECOWAS and the African Union. Similarly, coordination at EU level should be strengthened, including aid for mechanisms to exchange information, in order to optimise the efforts of the member states active in the region, avoid duplication and generate new synergies, they said. EU and member states' assistance should articulate with the work of other international organisations, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Council agreed, too, that the EU should develop a joint intelligence and law enforcement picture for the region, in order to make the most of existing mechanisms (such as Europol and Frontex) and new instruments and initiatives (such as the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre - Narcotics and the Initiative of Law Enforcement and Intelligence Cooperation between Latin America and West Africa). Ministers also noted that, for there to be any real impact, drugs policies have to be closely linked to wider development programmes in the region, including good governance and security sector reform initiatives. To this end, they highlighted the need to build credible partnerships. To ensure a balanced approach, and given that drug transit countries tend to become countries of consumption, emphasis should be put on reducing demand. (B.C.)