Skip to main content
European Commission logo print header

Programme Category

Programm
Inhalt archiviert am 2023-03-27

Article available in the following languages:

EN

Community action on the prevention of drug dependence within the framework for action in the field of public health, 1996-2000

 
The five-year action programme in the area of the prevention of drug dependence is proposed in the context of Article 129 of the Treaty on European Union which gives the Community a role in the area of public health. It also draws upon the subsequent action plan drawn up by the Commission in the field of public health (COM(93) 559) and the Commission Communication on a European Union action plan to combat drug addiction which was submitted to the Council and the European Parliament in June 1994 (COM(94) 234).

As the Member States are ultimately responsible for implementing their own drugs prevention programmes, activities at the Community level are targeted on the coordination and promotion of intra-Community cooperation and measures to stimulate the Member States to develop their own resources for preventing drug addiction. The programme will also enhance cooperation with third countries and relevant international organizations. In this context, the action programme facilitates cooperation between the Member States in the following areas:

- Best available options for the development of various therapies;
- Methodology for evaluating and comparing therapeutic strategies, structures and practices;
- Comparisons on the availability of treatment and access to it;
- Analysis of the provisions which encourage therapy for drug addicts, particularly AIDS and HIV-positive patients, pregnant addicts and newborn babies affected by drug addiction;
- Incorporation of therapy and other alternative measures into the law enforcement process.

The action programme will collaborate closely with other relevant Community programmes and initiatives, particularly in the area of training, education and public health matters. Furthermore, an emphasis is to be attached to research into all areas of drug addiction, as set out in general terms in Article 129 of the Treaty on European Union. In this context, there is to be close cooperation with the specific programmes implementing the Fourth RTD Framework Programme (1994-1998) and, particularly, with the specific programme on Biomedicine and Health and the results of the new programme on Targeted Socio-Economic Research (especially results derived from "Research into social integration and social exclusion in Europe"). Activities from Action 6 of the COST programme will also be considered.
To help in combating drug dependence, in particular by encouraging cooperation between the Member States, supporting their action and promoting coordination between their policies and programmes with a view to preventing drug dependence linked to the use of narcotics and psychotropic substances and associated use of other products for the purposes of drug addiction.
Two areas:

1. Data, Research, Evaluation:

To improve knowledge of the phenomenon of drugs and drug dependence and its consequence and of means and methods of preventing drug dependence and the risks relating thereto, in particular by using the information supplied by the EDMC and the possibilities offered by existing Community programmes and instruments. Actions cover:

- Helping to identify the data to be collected, analysed and disseminated for the purposes of the programme, including data on polysubstance dependence;
- Exploiting the data most useful for the implementation of the programme, particularly on the basis of a regular communication of the work of the EDMC;
- Helping to develop a strategy for research on the prevention of drug dependence, in particular to improve knowledge as regards the impact in the public health sphere policies targeting drug users and on the effect of drugs and the use of appropriate techniques for preventive purposes;
- Support studies and pilot projects on the socio-economic, socio-cultural, psycho-sociological factors associated with drug dependence, including in target groups;
- Supporting studies and actions and promoting the exchange of experience on ways and means of preventing the risks associated with drug dependence (especially with a view to protecting the foetuses of pregnant drug dependant women, reducing risks, assessing health measures and evaluating programmes for drug-dependent prisoners);
- Supporting and encouraging the exchange of information and experience, especially among members of the various groups involved in the prevention of drug dependence, and among persons who have a long-term positive influence of drug-users, on the prevention of drug addiction relapses, including rehabilitation of drug users and links between social and health aspects, as well as other actions to ensure consistency and complementarity with other relevant Community programmes and initiatives (e.g. Biomedicine and Health, Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth for Europe);

2. Information, Health Education and Training:

To contribute to improving information, education and training aimed at preventing drug dependence and the associated risks, in particular, for young people in the relevant environment (for example home, school, university and leisure time) and particularly vulnerable groups, including former drug users:

- Information and health education:
. Support schemes to evaluate the effectiveness of information and health education campaigns and carry out regular public surveys via Eurobarometer to monitor changes in Europeans' attitudes towards drugs;
. Organize further European drug prevention weeks on the basis of previous experience;
. Help identify, test and develop the best information and educational tools and methods for target groups (in particular, encourage the use of information, support schemes and development of telephone helpline);
. Help define guidelines on the prevention of drug abuse and foster the selection and use of teaching methods and materials, in particular within the context of the European network of health-promoting schools enabling, in particular, highly specialized social behaviour programmes to be defined in order to develop attitudes in young people which will enable them to avoid drugs and drug addiction, support integrated projects, programmes and other drug prevention initiatives in places frequented by children and young people, in a close dialogue with them, with the participation wherever possible of parents and those concerned; promote recourse to the expertise of persons liable to come into contact with groups of potential users;
. Encourage exchanges of experience on initiatives aimed at improving coordination between all those involved in the provision of education;
. Support schemes for advising teachers, families and those responsible for young people on the early detection of the use of drugs and the action to take;
. Encourage the extension of the European network of 'test towns' so as to promote technical cooperation on the ways and means used by these towns to reduce drug demand (in cooperation with the EDMC and the Council of Europe, if necessary);
. Support exchanges of experience, particularly on a regional cross-border basis, concerning local prevention, grassroots and street-level initiatives designed to benefit risk groups which are not always reached by conventional assistance and prevention strategies. Support exchanges of experience on the prevention models and practices involving towns in different Member States which are particularly affected by the problem of drugs;

- Training:
. Promote initiatives to improve the drug prevention aspects of vocational training programmes for teachers and those responsible for young people and encourage exchange of students training for the social and health-care professions, including exchanges under other Community programmes:
. Support the development of further-training programmes, teaching materials and modules for those likely to come into contact with drugs users and groups at risk, including in particular social work, health-care, police and the law-enforcement professionals; promote multidisciplinary cooperation and cooperation between the public and private sectors, including NGOs, with a view to preventing drug dependence.
The Commission is responsible for the implementation of the programme, assisted by an Advisory Committee comprising two representatives from each Member State and chaired by a Commission representative. The Commission is responsible for ensuring that the actions covered by the programme are implemented in close cooperation with the Member States and the institutions and organizations active in the prevention of drug dependence.

The information activities of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) must be taken into account by the Commission when implementing the actions covered by the programme. EMCDDA was established by the Council in 1993 to provide the Community and its Member States with objective, reliable and comparable information at the European level on drugs and drug addiction and their consequences.

The programme will seek to develop close cooperation with non-member countries, and with international organizations active in the field of public health. The EFTA countries and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe may be associated with the activities covered by the programme, under the conditions set out in the Agreements which they have concluded with the Community.

In implementing the programme, the Commission will cooperate closely with the European Council's Pompidou Group (which deals with health and drugs issues). It will also seek to strengthen regular contacts with international intergovernmental organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Labour Office (ILO) and the United Nations Drug Control Programme.

The indicative budget allocated to the programme is divided over the five-year period as follows: 1995 ECU 3.5 million; 1996 ECU 5.5 million; 1997 ECU 6 million; 1998 ECU 6.5 million; 1999 ECU 7 million.

Generally, Community subsidies are made available for joint financing in the public and/or private sector. These will rarely amount to more than 70% of the total value of the proposed project. In exceptional cases, 100% subsidies may be made available for studies, provision of services contracts, and for work ordered which is of direct use to the Commission.

The Commission will undertake to regularly publish information on the actions covered by the programme. In order to increase the value and impact of the programme, a continuous assessment of the measures undertaken will be carried out, with particular regard to their effectiveness and the achievement of objectives both at national and Community levels facilitating, where appropriate, amendments to the programme.

In the context of this assessment process, the Commission is required to draw up a mid-term report on the actions undertaken and an overall report upon completion of the programme. Both reports will be submitted to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.