On 14 April 2008, the deadline expired for presenting applications to the call for proposals for the budget line on Drug Prevention and Information, which was established to support the role of civil society organisations in EU drug policy. ENCOD has decided not to apply to this call for proposals. In the following statement, we explain why.
The European Commission invites the members of the EU Civil Society Forum on Drug Policies to the second session of this forum, to be held on 20 and 21 May, at the Committee of the Regions (Rue Belliard 99-101, Brussels)
The discussion will be based on the current EU Drug Action Plan and most of all the 2007 progress review of this action plan. Participants are asked to study possible improvements, shortcomings, priorities, objectives and relevant issues for the future.
ENCOD made a first draft for a response on the progress review. On the Have Your Say page you are wellcome to give your opinion.
Read the report of the first session of the EU CSF in December 2007
On January 31st, 2008, the European Parliaments Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) discussed the draft report of Giusto Catania MEP on European Commission”s Green Paper the role of Civil Society in Drugs Policy in the European Union, the basis of the Civil Society Forum that was set up in 2007.
The final report is now available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish and Dutch)
Report on the first meeting of the Civil Society Forum on Drugs, organised by the European Commission
13 & 14 December, Brussels.
By: Virginia Montañes and Joep Oomen
Should ENCOD continue to participate in the EU Civil Society Forum? Participate in our survey (see below on this page) or have your say on ENCODs position in the next session of the CSF, on May 20th and 21st, 2008.
ORGANISED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
BRUSSELS, 13 / 14 December 2007
To: Carel Edwards
Head of Drug Coordination Unit
European Commission
DG JLS
B- 1049 Brussels
On 13 & 14 December 2007, the European Commission organised the
first meeting
of a Civil Society Forum on Drug Policy in the European Union. This forum is meant to strengthen cooperation with civil society in the field of drug policy at EU level.
The forum is the outcome of a process that started in January 2006 with a Conference on Civil Society and Drugs in Brussels. Approximately 60 civil society representatives attended this event.
In June 2006, the European Commission published a
Green Paper
on the role of civil society in drug policy in the EU. Organisations representing citizens concerned by the drugs phenomenon were asked to produce comments to this Green Paper. The Commission received 56 responses of civil society organisations.
In July 2007, the Commission called for organisations
that wished to take part in the dialogue forum to send an application before 19 August. There were 75 respondents. On 31 October the Commission finally selected 26 organisations to take part in the first meeting of the forum. In the letter, the Commission promised to publish the list of all respondents to the call, but this did not happen. After many efforts to obtain the list, ENCOD finally obtained a copy early April 2008.
On 23 November, ENCOD wrote a public letter to the European Commission to ask for explanations about the reasons why organisations were selected and others not.
On 29 November we received a reply from the Commission on this letter.
On 13 December we presented a statement to the participants at the civil society forum.
The forum took place on 13 & 14 december. Here you can read ENCODs report on the forum.
On 31 January 2008 the European Parliament started the discussions on report concerning the Civil Society Forum.
On 11 March 2008 the European Commission announced a call for proposals for Civil Society organisations to obtain grants in order to participate in the dialogue on drug policies. ENCOD refused to apply for this grant, which it considers as an effort to buy the silence of citizens.
On 20 and 21 May 2008, the second session of the civil society forum will be organised in Brussels. ENCOD organises a consultation among its members concerning its role in this session.
Here is a list of the organisations that have been selected to the CSF, some information on their background, who they claim to represent and their earlier role in the consultation.
ENCOD will participate among 500 representatives of European civil society in the AGORA ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE, to be held in the European Parliament on 8 and 9 November 2007, and present the following statement: