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COUNCIL OF

THE EUROPEAN UNION

Brussels, 18 November 2008 





15812/1/08

REV 1





JAI 645

CORDROGUE 82

COAFR 368



NOTE

from :	Presidency

to :	Coreper/Council

Subject :	Draft Council Conclusions designed to reinforce the law
enforcement action of EU Member States in the fight against drug
trafficking in West Africa



Delegations will find in Annex the draft Council Conclusions designed to
reinforce the law enforcement action of EU Member States in the fight
against drug trafficking in West Africa.

______________________

ANNEX

Draft Council conclusions designed to reinforce the law enforcement
action of EU Member States in the fight against drug trafficking in West
Africa

Having regard to the Council Conclusions of December 2007 on Cooperation
with West Africa in the field of drugs, and aware of the need to foresee
a comprehensive EU engagement, using EU development aid and other EU
financial support measures to foster cooperation with the countries of
West Africa in order to address the multidimensional approach of drug
trafficking, including fight against criminal networks;

Having regard to the European Union’s JHA-RELEX strategy, in
particular the conclusions of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 1
and 2 December 2005;

Having regard to the EU Drugs Strategy (2005-2012), which specifically
highlights “Intensifying law enforcement efforts directed at non-EU
countries, especially producer countries and regions along trafficking
routes” and which recommends that “With due regard to the EU’s
fundamental principles, vigorous action should be taken to encourage and
expand cooperation with third-country enforcement agencies, providing
them with financial and logistical support as well as more joint
projects where Member States pool knowledge and expertise to tackle a
common problem”;



Mindful of the work in progress designed to lead to European Union
adoption of a new JHA-RELEX strategy in 2009 and the Communication from
the Commission on the Stockholm programme including this subject,
scheduled for May 2009;

Mindful of the European Union’s future drugs action plan for
2009-2012, which should mention West Africa as a priority action zone
and the recent Communication from the Commission on an EU Drugs Action
Plan for 2009-2012, which mentions that “cocaine use is rising in a
number of Member States”;

Mindful of the need for the law enforcement services of Member States to
follow up this development;

Mindful of the overall assessment of the EU Drugs Strategy and action
plans to be carried out in 2012 by the European Commission, in
cooperation with the EMCDDA (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and
Drug Addiction), Europol and the Member States, for the Council and the
European Parliament;

Welcoming the role of the European Commission, notably in the framework
of its financial plans to bolster Western African countries' efforts in
terms of countering drug trafficking (ISEC, Instrument for Stability and
European development fund);



Welcoming the work of the Praia ministerial conference (28 and 29
October 2008) which aimed for the Heads of State and Heads of Government
of ECOWAS to adopt  a regional action plan (2007-2010) in December 2008
to fight against drug trafficking with the support of the UNODC and
ICPO-Interpol;

Mindful of the observations made by the UNODC, whose report of October
2008 - "Drug trafficking as a security threat in West Africa" - mentions
that “ the threat hanging over the region’s security is greater than
the threat to Latin America, because the rule of law is so precarious in
West Africa” and by ICPO-Interpol, which has set up 4 regional offices
in the region;

Noting that the UNODC, ICPO-Interpol on the one hand and the European
Union on the other hand share the same analysis of the nature and extent
of the threat linked to drug trafficking and more widely to organised
crime and corruption;

Mindful of their respective mandates, and the need to integrate the
actions proposed and carried out in an overall context designed to
develop synergies;

Welcoming the creation of the MAOC-N in Lisbon, on September 2007, the
first regional maritime law enforcement body set up to fight the
trafficking of drugs into the EU, which aims to consolidate the existing
operational measures in order to better control and counter drug routes
originating in Latin America, and greater effectiveness;



Mindful of the international conference on drug trafficking in Guinea
Bissau under the Portuguese Presidency of the EU (Lisbon, 19 December
2007), which brought together members of the International Contact Group
for Guinea Bissau, representatives of the EU Member States, the
Commission, competent ministerial officials from Guinea Bissau, ECOWAS
representatives and Member States, as well as the Executive Director of
the UNODC and representatives of other UN bodies;

Mindful of the bilateral actions implemented by the Member States in the
areas of operational cooperation with the services of West African
states and police technical cooperation activities, especially in the
area of training;

Mindful of the conclusions of the meeting of liaison officers which took
place on 2 July 2008 in Dakar;

Deeply concerned about the direct and growing threat that drugs -
especially cocaine trafficking transiting through West Africa -
represents to the development and security of the states of West Africa
and to the European Union;

Convinced of the need to reinforce, streamline and consolidate the
action of law enforcement agencies put in place by the European Union
and the Member States to combat drug trafficking in West Africa;

Convinced of the need to reinforce cooperation between our law
enforcement services and the mechanisms for coordination of the fight
against drug trafficking and organised crime planned by the ECOWAS
Commission, and the specialised services of the states in the region;

Wishing, to this end, to focus the actions of the Member States and
reinforce cooperation with the law enforcement agencies of the West
African states of by mobilising Member States' experts specialised in
the fight against drug trafficking, in order to enable the former to
counter this traffic by themselves;

Having noted that international organisations, the ECOWAS States, other
international partners and the European Union are pressing the need for
prompt action without any delay;

Stressing the need to cooperate closely with international organisations
and partner countries in order to enhance efficiency and avoid
duplication,

The Council of the European Union has agreed on the following actions:

-	to consider the most appropriate way of working to ensure the
consistency of the actions carried out by the operational law
enforcement agencies of  Member States of the EU, especially with the
aim of involving the agencies and bodies of the European Union;

-	to make an inventory of current actions contributing to the fight
against drug trafficking in West Africa.  It will include in particular
the actions undertaken directly by Member States, the European
Commission and relevant international organisations such as UNODC and
ICPO-Interpol or those carried out in liaison with these institutions
and other international partners;

-	to identify new operational measures that can be set up and activated
at short notice: for this purpose, the result of the feasibility study
on the operational platforms of liaison officers in West Africa will be
most useful;

-	to make any relevant proposals to reinforce the fight against drug
trafficking in West Africa, in particular in connection with a transfer
of skills and experience, to give an advantage to the law enforcement
agents of West African States, or improve threat assessment; 

-	to enhance the dialogue with the countries of the region, conducted
individually as well as collectively and also with the relevant regional
organisations, especially the ECOWAS.

Furthermore, the Council

Invites successive presidencies to continue this work as a matter of
priority in close liaison with the General Secretariat of the Council
and the European Commission and to involve, as needed, the experts of
Member States that so wish;

Asks successive presidencies to provide progress reports of this work to
the relevant preparatory bodies of the Council and, as soon as
particular progress has been made, to the Council.

____________________

 	15656/07 CORDROGUE 85

	14390/05 and 14960/05

	15074/04 CORDROGUE 77 SAN 187 ENFOPOL 178 RELEX 564; Communication from
the Commission on the 2007 progress review of the implementation of the
EU Action Plan on Drugs (2005-2008) (16489/07 CORDROGUE 92 ENFOPOL 219
SAN 265 RELEX 978); and the EU Drugs Action Plan 2005-2008 (OJ C 168,
8.7.2005)

	See the Second progress report on the implementation of the "Strategy
for the External Dimension of JHA: Global Freedom, Security and Justice
(9573/08 JAI 254 RELEX 326, 9391/08 JAI 237 RELEX 305); and the
Commission staff working document - Second progress report on the
implementation of the "Strategy for the External Dimension of JHA:
Global Freedom, Security and Justice (9572/08 JHA 253 RELEX 325]. 

	13407/08 CORDROGUE 69 SAN 195 ENFOPOL 164 RELEX 682; and Commission
staff working document - Report of the Final evaluation of the EU Drugs
action Plan (2005-2008) (13407/08 ADD 3 CORDROGUE 69 SAN 195 ENFOPOL 164
RELEX 682)

	See more broadly the 2005 UNODC report (Crime and Development in
Africa) and Annex B thereto (declaration on the fight against drug
trafficking and drug abuse 2002-2006).

	MAOC-N Annual Report June 2007-2008.

	12372/08 JAI 414 RELEX 583 COAFR 270 + COR 1

	See the 2008 UNODC report on « Drug trafficking as a security threat
in West Africa ».

	See the note on the meeting between the Troika of the Article 36
Committee and Interpol in Lyon on 3 November 2008 (15445/08 JAI 616
RELEX 882 ENFOPOL 223 CRIMORG 189)

	Commission Expert Mission in West Africa in June 2008, feasibility
study on the implementation of operational platforms of EU liaison
officers in Senegal and Ghana, two operational projects respectively
supported by France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain.

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