Combating illicit drug trafficking: criminal acts and penalties, minimum provisions. Framework Decision

The European Parliament adopted, without debate, the report by Mr Arie OOSTLANDER (EPP-ED, NL). Parliament also stipulates that in view of the health risks, European Union drugs policy should focus on prevention. Tackling illicit drugs trafficking can only be a component of this general drugs policy. Repression should be targeted not at drug users themselves, but at drug traffickers and the criminal and terrorist organisations which derive funds from trafficking in order to finance their illegal activities. Parliament includes an amendment which states that Member States should take the necessary measures to ensure that confiscation of proceeds also serves to increase budgets for programmes for prevention and for the rehabilitation of drug users and for programmes to support their families. It is also essential to co-operate with the competent international bodies in cases of illicit international drug trafficking beyond the border of the Member States. Systematic and effective co-operation between Member States is needed therefore in this context Europol and Eurojust should be recognised and become fully operational. Greater operationality required a stronger legal basis, particularly so as to ensure control by the European Parliament and full jurisdiction for the Court of Justice of the European Communities. Parliament also referred to the need for Member States to achieve a minimum consensus on the admissibility of the various investigative methods, resulting in a binding instrument ensuring minimum safeguards with regard procedural law. Finally, the European Parliament decided that the Commission shall draw up a report evaluating the application of the provisions of this framework decision by the Member State for the first time by 30 June 2007 at the latest, and every three years thereafter (as opposed to every five years as initially stated).�