Coordination with other Council Working Groups - Main contents

Document date	02-07-2007
Publication date	12-08-2009
Reference	11436/07
From	Presidency
To	Horizontal Working Party on Drugs
External link	original PDF
Original document in PDF

COUNCIL OF Brussels, 2 July 2007 THE EUROPEAN UNION

11436/07

CORDROGUE 48

NOTE from : Presidency to : Horizontal Working Party on Drugs

Subject : Coordination with other Council Working Groups

In the 2006 Progress review on the implementation on the EU Drugs Action Plan, the Commission recommended that the coordination with other Council Working Groups should be addressed at each meeting of the HDG.

With this propose, under the Portuguese Presidency, at each meeting of the HDG, the Chair will give an update on ongoing work in the field of drugs in the following Council Working Groups which deal with drug related issues:

  Public Health Working Group (PHWG) Customs Cooperation Working Group (CCWG) Customs Union Working Party Police Cooperation Working Group (PCWG) Multidisciplinary Working Group (MDG) Terrorism Working Group (TWG) Regional Working Groups (AMLAT, COLAT, COASI, COEST, COMEM, COAFR,

COMED and COWEB).

To promote an effective coordination, the Chair of the HDG has established a permanent reporting mechanism with the abovementioned Working Groups in order to be informed when drug related issues are on the agenda. These groups will also be involved in the discussions of the HDG if the HDG tackles issues related to their mandate.

The present document intends to outline the relevant items contained in the work programmes of these groups with a view to strengthen the role of the HDG as a leading forum in the Council for EU coordination on drugs.

At the end of the Portuguese Presidency the Chair of the HDG will present a report on the coordination with other Council Working Groups.

The relevant items in each Working Group are as follows:

Public Health Working Group (PHWG)

The Portuguese Presidency will organise the meeting of the AIDS Coordinators of EU, WHO-

EURO Region and Neighbouring Countries. The goal is to generate evidence based information to support Public Health decisions related to the migration phenomena, particularly concerning HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe; to develop and standardise information on epidemiology issues, best practices and cost-effective policies on prevention, treatment, care and support to agree on follow up procedures and monitoring priorities within every Council Presidency.

Customs Cooperation Working Group (CCWG)

The Portuguese Presidency aims at continuing the activity of the CCWP German Presidency, implementing the CCWP 2007-2008 Action Plan (doc. nr.13424/2/06 ENFOCUSTOM 64, 7/11/06) and even the multi-annual plan for Joint Customs Operations 2007-2009, in line with the “Common 18-months Presidency Programme on Police and Customs Co-operation” (doc. nr. 5291/07 CATS 2 COMIX 30, 12/01/07). Particular focus will be made on the following subjects:

• a) 

  Evaluation of the application of Naples II Convention b) Reviewing of the CIS Convention c) Joint Customs Operations (JCO) - Multi-annual Plan for JCO: i) Ending of JCO 2007 (JCO on cocaine, synthetic drugs (ATS) and

  cannabis);

• ii) 

  Preparation and planning of JCO 2008/2009 (till the moment JCO on

  cocaine and heroin);

  • iii) 

    Coordination with COSPOL Projects. d) Threat assessments within customs matters: (e.g.)

  • - 

    Synthetic drugs; - Cannabis

  • e) 

    To improve the co-operation between police and customs
  • - 

    To enhance the participation of police authorities in JCO;
  • - 

    To hold a joint meeting of CCWP and Police Cooperation Working Party on

    November 2007.

Customs Union Working Party

Within the scope of the work carried out by this Group the Portuguese Presidency aims at continuing discussing the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) N.º 515/97 on mutual assistance between the administrative authorities of the Member States and cooperation between the latter and the Commission to ensure the correct application of the law on customs and agricultural matters.

This Regulation contributes, albeit indirectly, to the fight against drugs trafficking by acting as a legal basis for the exchange of information, including the support of OLAF to the Joint Customs Operations related to these matters.

Police Cooperation Working Group (PCWG)

Within the scope of the Portuguese Presidency of the Police Cooperation Group, there are no specific planned initiatives directly related to the problematic of drug trafficking or consumption.

However, considering the development of those group goals, a questionnaire was presented to the 27 Member States. The objective of this questionnaire is to verify the existence, or not, of a connection between mass criminality and organised crime. The aforementioned questionnaire shall

th

be filled in until the 7 of September 2007. Its objective is to elaborate a diagnosis among the

Member States and the European Union about the relation between mass criminality and organised crime, aiming to identify ways to improve the efficiency of the operating legal frameworks, structures, and procedures of prevention and fight against sorts of crime, which, require a transversal and integrated approach of each Member State, as consequence of the diminishing geographical, institutional and conceptual constraints.

In chapter IV of the questionnaire (question 5.5) it is asked to each Member State if there is statistical data relating international drug trafficking to mass criminality. Also, if there is any data resulting from intelligence and analysis linking international drug trafficking to mass criminality. Member States are still questioned about the opinion / sensitiveness of police services regarding mass criminality, which might be related to international drug trafficking.

Multidisciplinary Group on Organised Crime (MDG)

The Portuguese Presidency aims at continuing the discussion of the following matters:

• - 

  Council Resolution on simplifying the cross-border deployment of undercover officers in

  order to step up Member States cooperation in the fight against serious cross-border crime;

• - 

  Council Framework Decision on the protection of personal data processed in the framework

  of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters;

• - 

  3rd Evaluation round – exchange of information and intelligence between Europol and

  Member States and among Member States;

• - 

  4th Evaluation round – Practical application of the European Arrest Warrant and

  corresponding surrender procedures between Member States;

• - 

  Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council

  Directive 91/477/EEC i on control of the acquisition and possession of weapons;

• - 

  EU co-ordination in international fora;

• - 

  Improving co-operation with regard to corruption prevention and control – European Network

  against Corruption;

• - 

  Launch the discussion of the issue: MDG 10th Anniversary – Looking back and preparing the

  future.

Regional Working Groups (AMLAT, COLAT, COASI, COEST, COMEM, COAFR,

COMED and COWEB)

Being part of the broader political dialogue that the EU holds with third countries and regions, drug issues tend to be mainstreamed in the EU cooperation agreements with those countries and regions. As a result, references to drug issues in the framework of the regional working groups have increased.

To ensure cooperation and integrated approach, it is therefore important that regional working groups inform the HDG whenever drug related issues are on their agenda. The chair of the HDG, in coordination with the chairs of the different regional working groups, will also seek to promote, whenever possible, debates and presentations, to be held in those groups, concerning the drug situation in the countries or regions particularly affected by drug trafficking and consumption.

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