Council of Europe International Cooperation Group on Drugs and Addiction
NicknamePompidou Group
Formation1971; 53 years ago (1971) (foundation)
1979; 45 years ago (1979) (sui generis) 1980; 44 years ago (1980) (integration into CoE)
FounderGeorge Pompidou
Founded atParis, France
TypeGovernmental
HeadquartersStrasbourg, France (Secretariat)
Location
  • Europe
Region
Worldwide
Membership (2022)
41 countries
Chair of the Permanent Correspondents
João Goulão Castel-Branco[1]
Executive Secretary
Denis Huber[2]
Parent organization
Council of Europe
Websitecoe.int/en/web/pompidou

The Council of Europe International Cooperation Group on Drugs and Addiction, also known as Pompidou Group (French: Groupe Pompidou; and formerly Cooperation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs) is the co-operation platform of the Council of Europe on matters of drug policy currently composed of 42 countries.[3] It was established as an ad'hoc inter-governmental platform in 1971 until its incorporation into the Council of Europe in 1980.[4] Its headquarters are in Strasbourg, France.[5]

History

During the 1960s, the "French Connection", a large-scale drug smuggling scheme allowing the import of heroin into the United States via Turkey and France, raised international concerns. On 6 August 1971,[6] former French President Georges Pompidou sent a letter to his counterparts of Germany, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom expressing his concerns and proposing a joint effort "to better understand and tackle the growing drug problems in Europe."[3] It has been suggested the initiative was pressed by a letter addressed to Pompidou by U.S. President Rixhard Nixon in 1969.[7]

The Group was officially launched at the first ministerial meeting held in Paris on 4 November 1971.[8] According to its website:

"Until 1979, the group operated without a formal status supported by the countries holding its presidency: France from 1971 to 1977 and Sweden from 1977 to 1979. The group developed as a sui generis entity throughout the 1970s, and three other countries (Denmark, Ireland and Sweden) joined it during that decade."[9]

After the death of Pompidou in 1974, the group started to informally adopt the name "Pompidou Group."

On 27 March 1980, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted Resolution (80)2,[10] integrating the Pompidou Group into the institutional framework of the Council as an inter-governmental body, after which numerous countries joined it.

As the European integration process and expansion of Schengen Area took over many drug-related areas of competences of European countries, the Pompidou Group reoriented its action towards monitoring.[11] It publishes on a number of topics such as review of seizures carried out at borders,[12] guidelines for custom officers, drug markets,[4] and epidemiology.[13] Since 1989,[14] the Group started working on human rights, health, prevention (including the role of police in drug use prevention[15]), and more recently on harm reduction[5] and HIV/AIDS.[16] Since 2004, the Group now awards every two years a "European Drug Prevention Prize" to drug prevention projects involving young people.[5] More recently, the group has started involving on topics such as addiction to the internet,[17] trade in precursors, on-line drug sales, gender-related issues, prison policies, etc.[11]

In 1999 and 2010, the group signed Memoranda of Understanding with the EU's European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.[18]

On 16 June 2021, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the initiative,[19] the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted Resolution CM/Res(2021)4[20] making important changes to the status and mandate of the group. It also officially changed its name to "Council of Europe International Cooperation Group on Drugs and Addiction."

Structure

The Presidency is the main political body of the Pompidou Group. It takes primary responsibility for supervising the work of the group. The Ministerial Conference elects the countries holding the Presidency and Vice-Presidency for a four years term.[1]

The Ministerial Conference is the policy-making body and high-level political forum. It is composed of Ministers responsible for drug policies in their countries, who meet every four years. The Ministerial Conference establishes the Group's strategy and priorities.

The Permanent Correspondents is the main decision-making body. It is composed by officials representing their government in-between Ministerial Conferences. Permanent Correspondents meet twice a year.

Membership

Although the group was launched among seven European countries, its membership has expanded in number and in nature along the years.

Member states

As of 2022, the Pompidou Group consists of 41 member states. As an "Enlarged Partial Agreement", membership of the Pompidou Group is also open to countries not members of the Council of Europe, including states outside Europe. Observer status is also possible for states. In addition, the US and the Holy See "at their request and after deliberation by the Permanent Correspondents, have been associated with the work of the Pompidou Group on an ad hoc technical basis."[8]

Membership of the Pompidou Group[21]
Country Period of membership
1 Belgium 1971–present
2 France 1971–present
/ Germany 1971–2011[22][11]
3 Italy 1971–present
4 Luxembourg 1971–present
/ Netherlands 1971–2011[22][11]
/ United Kingdom 1971–2011[22][11]
/ Denmark 1973–2011[22][11]
5 Ireland 1973–present
6 Sweden 1973–present
7 Turkey 1980–present
8 Greece 1981–present
9 Norway 1983–present
/ Spain 1984–2011[22][11]
10 Portugal 1985–present
11 Switzerland 1985–present
12 Finland 1987–present
13 Austria 1988–present
14 Malta 1988–present
15 Cyprus 1989–present
16 Hungary 1990–present
17 Poland 1991–present
18 San Marino 1991–present
19 Slovakia 1993–present
20 Czech Republic 1993–present
21 Liechtenstein 1994–present
22 Slovenia 1994–present
23 Croatia 1997–present
24 Estonia 1998–present
/ Russia 1999–2022[23][24]
25 Iceland 2000–present
26 Azerbaijan 2001–present
27 Lithuania 2001–present
28 Romania 2005–present
29 Bulgaria 2005–present
30 North Macedonia 2011–present
31 Serbia 2011–present
32 Morocco 2011–present
33 Moldova 2012–present
34 Montenegro 2012–present
35 Israel 2013–present
36 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2015–present
37 Monaco 2016–present
38 Mexico 2017–present
39 Armenia 2020–present
40 Georgia 2020–present
41 Ukraine 2022–present

Intergovernmental and non-governmental observers

Beyond countries' governments, as of 2022, the European Commission, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe, the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD/OAS), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the World Health Organisation enjoy observer status.

On its turn, the Pompidou Group enjoys observer or similar status in a number of EU and UN fora.[25]

Criticism

Some governments have criticized the overlap of discussions held at the Pompidou Group with those taking place in fora like the European Union (Horizontal Drugs Group) or the United Nations (Commission on Narcotic Drugs).[11] Countries have also lamented the membership fees.[22]

Civil society stakeholders have criticized the Pompidou Group for leaving little room for the direct participation and involvement of non-governmental organizations in its work and discussions.[26]

In 2022, while announcing the withdrawal of his country from the Pompidou Group, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov nonetheless declared that "the expert dialogue with the EU on combatting drugs has until recently been one of the few that has not been subject to political conjuncture."[27] The consensus of the Pompidou Group around stringent drug policies, compatible with the zero-tolerance approach of the Russian Federation on drugs, and in particular with strong positions opposing decriminalization and legalization of drugs, has long been criticized by observers.[7] In 2021, the Executive Secretary of the Pompidou Group Denis Huber declared:

"The Pompidou Group, with the diversity of its members, has no official stance on the issue of decriminalisation, but it will continue to play its role of a platform of cooperation and dialogue for discussing both health and criminal related problems associated with drug use and abuse."[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Presidency". Pompidou Group. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b Huber, Denis (29 October 2021). "Paths towards decriminalising drug use in Europe". www.euractiv.com. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b Council of Europe, Pompidou Group. "Who we are". Pompidou Group. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b Nagler, N A (1 January 1987). "The Council of Europe Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs (the Pompidou Group)". Bulletin on Narcotics. 39 (1): 31–40. ISSN 0007-523X. PMID 3620762.
  5. ^ a b c THE POMPIDOU GROUP WORK IN IMAGES, retrieved 5 November 2022
  6. ^ Pompidou, Georges (1971). Lettre de Monsieur le Président de la République à son excellence Monsieur Bieshuvel, Premier Ministre des Pays-Bas, datée du 6 août 1971. Paris: Council of Europe.
  7. ^ a b Marchant, Alexandre (2015). "La naissance de la guerre à la drogue (années 1960–1980): une obsession américaine?". SWAPS. 76: 25–29 – via vih.org.
  8. ^ a b Brulé, C (1 October 1983). "The role of the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe in combating drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking". Bulletin on Narcotics. 35 (4): 73–77. ISSN 0007-523X. PMID 6563929.
  9. ^ Council of Europe, Pompidou Group. "Our history". Pompidou Group. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  10. ^ Council of Europe, Committee of Ministers (1980). "RESOLUTION (80) 2 SETTING UP A CO-OPERATION GROUP TO COMBAT DRUG ABUSE AND ILLICIT TRAFFICKING IN DRUGS (POMPIDOU GROUP) (Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 27 March 1980 at the 317th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)". ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Council of Europe International Cooperation Group on Drugs and Addictions (2021). Huber, D (ed.). HUMAN RIGHTS AT THE HEART OF DRUG POLICIES 50th anniversary of the Pompidou Group. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. p. 51.
  12. ^ "Drug seizure by Customs Department at MIA among top 10 operations in Europe in 2020 – The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  13. ^ Muscat, Richard; Stamm, René; Uchtenhagen, Ambros (2014). "Education and training on substance use disorders: Recommendations for future national Drug Policies" (PDF). Muscat, Richard; Stamm, René; Uchtenhagen, Ambros (2014). Education and training on substance use disorders: Recommendations for future national Drug Policies. Deutschland: Pompidou Group. doi:10.5167/uzh-105854. S2CID 169458518.
  14. ^ Negreiros-Carvalho, Jorge (1996). "The activity of the Pompidou Group in the prevention of drug misuse" (PDF). European Addiction Research. 2: 119–121 – via Universidade do Porto.
  15. ^ "Vancouver cop was an ally in fight for drug policy reform in Canada". Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  16. ^ "Give needles, condoms to inmates to curb HIV: Experts". The Express Tribune. 1 March 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  17. ^ Handicap.fr. "Addiction à internet : une nouvelle pathologie ?". Handicap.fr (in French). Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  18. ^ EMCDDA. "Pompidou Group | www.emcdda.europa.eu". www.emcdda.europa.eu. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  19. ^ "50th Anniversary". Pompidou Group. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  20. ^ Council of Europe (2021). "Resolution CM/Res(2021)4 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the Council of Europe International Co-operation Group on Drugs and Addictions (Pompidou Group) (Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 16 June 2021 at the 1407th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies".
  21. ^ "Our members". Pompidou Group. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  22. ^ a b c d e f de Quadros Rigoni, Rafaela (2019). "Controlling drugs in Europe: the first collaboration attempts". In Kaló, Z; Tieberghien, J; Korf, DJ (eds.). Why? Explanations for drug use and drug dealing in social drug research. Lengerich: PABST Science Publishers; 2019. p. 192. Lengerich: PABST Science Publishers. pp. 25–40.
  23. ^ "Rusia abandona ocho Acuerdos Parciales del Consejo de Europa" (in European Spanish). Europa Press. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  24. ^ "Russia quits several Council of Europe agreements". TASS. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  25. ^ Mabileau-Whomsley, Florence (2009). "Le groupe Pompidou ou comment contribuer à répondre aux problèmes posés par les drogues et les toxicomanies". Archives de politique criminelle (in French). n° 31 (1): 253. doi:10.3917/apc.031.0253. ISSN 0242-5637. S2CID 179163236.
  26. ^ O’Gorman, Aileen; Schatz, Eberhard (10 February 2021). "Civil society involvement in harm reduction drug policy: reflections on the past, expectations for the future". Harm Reduction Journal. 18 (1): 17. doi:10.1186/s12954-020-00426-8. ISSN 1477-7517. PMC 7873113. PMID 33568156.
  27. ^ "Diplomat says Russia's participation in anti-drug Pompidou Group terminated". TASS. Retrieved 5 November 2022.

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