EU Presidency Statement - Crime Prevention and International Drug Control

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, the Associated Countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey as well as the EFTA Countries of the European Economic Area Iceland and Norway, align themselves with this statement.

[108. Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice]

The European Union fully acknowledges the pivotal role of the United Nations for the development of effective strategies and measures in fighting crime in all its forms and for the protection of freedom and security of people. The EU appreciates the work performed by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations network of crime prevention and criminal justice institutes, aiming at establishing effective mechanisms of international cooperation to fight the most serious forms of transnational crime as well as the strengthening of the national systems of crime prevention and criminal justice. In this regard, the EU strongly supports the activities carried on by the UNODC, particularly in the development of universal legal instruments and in providing technical cooperation to developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

The extent of complementarity between the activities of the EU and of UNODC in the field of crime prevention shows the importance of enhanced co-operation.

Organised crime undermines the rule of law. This is why the European Union feels that a new impetus should be given to the fight against it. The key international instruments for combating this phenomenon are the UN Convention against transnational organised crime and its three additional Protocols. As the first globally applicable instruments in the field, their speedy entry into force and consequent implementation will have a perceptible impact on Member States' ability to cooperate in combating transnational organised crime. The European Union is therefore very pleased that the Convention entered into force on September, 29, 2003 - less than three years after it was opened for signature in Palermo in December 2000 - and welcomes also that the Protocol on trafficking in human beings has surpassed the threshold of 40 ratifications and will enter into force at the end of this year. The EU looks forward to actively participating in the Ad Hoc Committee preparing the rules of Procedures coming January and in the first Conference of the Parties that will take place next summer (28 June - 9 July 2004) in Vienna and in the process leading up to it.

The European Union encourages every effort to accelerate the ratification of the Convention and its additional Protocols so that a maximum number of signatory States can be represented at this Conference. The EU commends the efforts of the UNODC Crime Programme to find more ways to assist States wishing to ratify these instruments. In particular, the Programme has developed a series of manuals that identify the requirements and options available to States when they draft the necessary legislation. These manuals will be useful to propel the ratification process, as well as the technical support and legal assistance offered by UNODC to member States.

The next crucial step in global efforts to combat transnational crime will be the establishment of the UN Convention against corruption. Among other problems, corruption causes reduced investment or even disinvestment. Some of its many long-term effects are social polarisation, human rights violations, undemocratic practices and the diversion of funds intended for development and essential services. International investors as well as donors are increasingly reluctant to allocate funds to countries lacking adequate rule of law, transparency and accountability in public administration. Thus corruption has the greatest impact on the most destitute and therefore vulnerable layers of a country's society. The European Union is pleased to note that the new Convention, in addition to criminal law provisions, will also contain measures to prevent corruption. In the European Union's vision, prevention together with criminalisation, international co-operation and mechanisms for the return of funds and for monitoring the implementation of the Convention, are indispensable to create a comprehensive and balanced network of effective measures and to ensure sustainable solutions in the fight against corruption.

The European Union took active part in the works of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Negotiation of the Convention and welcomes their conclusion last week in Vienna so that this new UN legal instrument can be opened for signature by the end of the year, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 56/260. The European Union expresses its high appreciation for the offer made by the Government of Mexico to host in Mérida a high-level political conference for the purpose of signing the Convention.

The European Union welcomes the results of the twelfth session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. It also welcome the CCPCJ's decision to recommend to the General Assembly the provisional agenda for the eleventh Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, to be held in Thailand in 2005. To contribute to the success of the Congress, the European Union feels that it is important for the regional preparatory meetings to make action-oriented recommendations and identify policy options from regional perspectives and for the Commission to assist in bringing these together in order to prepare the outcome of the Congress.

The European Union welcomes the strengthening of the Terrorism Prevention Branch of UNODC and commends the launch, in October 2002, of the Global Programme against Terrorism. The Programme complements the activities of the Counter-Terrorism Committee established by Security Council resolution 1373, by providing guidance to Member States in legislating and implementing the international instruments pertaining to terrorism. The UNODC has the unique possibility to build on years of expertise in the field of combating organised crime when offering advisory service on counter-terrorism, which it has successfully done in more than 30 countries this year.

The European Union expects that the current reorganization of the UNODC, including its new organigramme, will strengthen the effectiveness of its activities, optimising the allocation of resources according to the priorities approved by the competent commissions. The European Union, recognising the priority of the U.N Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme and welcoming the important progress already made (as stressed in the report of the Secretary General), also appeals for further strengthening the Programme as requested by the General Assembly resolutions.


[109. International Drug Control]

The two-day Ministerial segment during the 46th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (15-16 April 2003), and the "Joint Ministerial Statement and further measures to implement the action plans emanating from the twentieth special session of the General Assembly" provided Member States with an opportunity for mid-term review of the progress achieved in meeting goals and targets for the year 2003 and 2008, set out in the Political Declaration adopted by the 1998 UN General Assembly Special Session. Despite the substantial progress that has been made, drug production, trafficking in illicit drugs and drug abuse are still problems of major concern to all governments and require a common approach on the basis of shared responsibility. The world drug problem must be addressed in multilateral, regional, bilateral and national settings. Action must be supported by strong international cooperation and must be further included in national priorities. Particular emphasis must be given to assistance to developing countries in their efforts to deal with the use of illicit drugs and related negative consequences, such as HIV .

Reducing supply of illicit drugs is an essential component in tackling the drug problem: data collection and analysis and evaluation of results of drug control policies are also essential tools. Production and trafficking are directly linked to the demand for illicit drugs. Any effort should therefore be focused on a balanced approach in countering the drug problem: the EU, addressing the 46th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drug in Vienna, emphasized this approach. Early interventions to prevent drug dependence and drug-related negative consequences, as well as reducing the risks of drug abuse, are equally important with law enforcement responses to production and trafficking.

The alarming growth in the illicit production and abuse of narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances, including amphetamine-type stimulants, poses new challenges with regard to supply reduction operations and effective international law enforcement cooperation. The EU's main concern is the increasing recreational use of these substances by young people. This problem has to be tackled trough consistent measures such as school based prevention programmes and involvement of families and local communities. The EU welcomes the Report of the Executive Director of the UNODC on synthetic drugs and regards it as an authoritative warning to Member States to give due consideration to possible ways to fight this new threat. The EU is deeply concerned by the continuing links between illicit drug trafficking and terrorism and other national and transnational criminal activities such as organized crime, human trafficking, money laundering, corruption and financing of terrorism.

On the occasion of the 46th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs the attention was also focused on alternative development and the eradication of illicit crops as essential parts of the efforts to fight drug-related problems. The EU supports and welcomes the efforts to reduce the supply of drugs by encouraging those who cultivate illicit crops, such as the opium poppy or coca bush, to switch to other profitable crops and alternative sources of income. In this regard, the EU urges States and the UNODC to increase their efforts particularly in Afghanistan, where increased resources are needed to provide alternative livelihoods and build up Afghan law enforcement capacity in line with Afghanistan's National Drug Strategy

By improving the socio-economic quality of life of targeted populations through integrated development projects, alternative development seeks to reduce and eliminate the production of illicit drug crops. Comprehensive alternative development projects address the broader economic situation of farmers who cultivate drug crops due to rural poverty, lack of access to markets for legal products and unsuitable soil for many other crops. The EU calls upon the relevant UN agencies and entities to mainstream drug control issues into their programs.

The EU calls upon States that have not already done so to become parties to the international drug control conventions and those who are parties to fully implement these instruments.

Training, technical assistance, coordination and information exchange among States are the priorities of an effective cooperation that must be based on a policy mix including prevention, law enforcement, risk reduction, treatment and reintegration of drug users and alternative development.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime must continue to play a primary role in global co-ordination of counter narcotics activity. The EU therefore recommends that a sufficient share of the regular budget of the United Nations be allocated to the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to enable it to fulfill its mandates and to work backed by assured and predictable funding. The EU welcomes the restructured organization of the UNODC enabling it to fulfill its mandate most effectively.

In this regard - and given the EU's efforts in this field, particularly regarding the 2000-2004 Strategy and Action Plan against drugs - the EU looks forward to strengthen co-operation with the UNODC.

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• EC ratification of UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (1/9/2003)
• EU Statement on crime prevention and criminal justice - Vienna (22/5/2003)
• EU Statement on crime prevention and criminal justice - Vienna (22/5/2003)