We, the delegations of
the Latin American and the Caribbean States
and of the Member States of the European
Union, the Presidency of the Council of the
European Union, assisted by the Secretary-General
of the Council, and the European Commission,
meeting under the co-presidency of Peru and
Luxembourg in Lima on 2 and 3 June 2005 at
the VIIth High‑Level Meeting of the
Coordination and Cooperation Mechanism on
Drugs between the European Union and Latin America
and the Caribbean, with the participation of
the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and
Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), EUROPOL and the
Inter-American Commission for the Control of
Drug Abuse (CICAD/OAS):
NOTING that the
Coordination and Cooperation Mechanism on
Drugs between the European Union and Latin
America and the Caribbean ("the Mechanism")
is the only institutional bi-regional forum
(existing within the framework of the LAC-EU
Summit) active in the prevention and
reduction of consumption as well as in the
fight against the production and trafficking
of illicit drugs, which is based on the
principle of shared responsibility. In this
context the two regions are committed to
work together in discussing policies,
exploring new approaches and solutions and
coordinating action in the fight against
illicit drugs and related crimes, in
compliance with national regulations and
with the principles established at UNGASS in
1998.
RECALLING that the
Mechanism was established at the meeting of
the Madrid European Council in December
1995, and that its principles, priorities
and operational framework are based on the
Panama Action Plan approved in Panama City
in April 1999, which identifies the
following areas for action: demand reduction;
control of supply; police, customs and
judicial cooperation; drugs-related arms
trafficking; money laundering; judicial
organisation and drugs legislation; and
institutional capacity‑building;
CONSIDERING the areas of
bi-regional cooperation referred to in the
conclusions of the Second High-Level Meeting
of the Mechanism held in Lisboa in May 2000:
demand reduction, money laundering,
alternative development and maritime
cooperation;
CONSIDERING the
agreements reached in Cochabamba (Bolivia),
Madrid (Spain), Cartagena de Indias
(Colombia) and Dublin (Ireland) in 2001,
2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively.
CONFIRMING our resolve to
continue to support the development of the
political dialogue and the joint
presentation of draft resolutions to the
United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs
in line with the 2003 Cartagena commitment.
REAFFIRMING the terms of
the Cartagena and Dublin Declarations
concerning the need for strengthening the
Mechanism as a discussion forum of policies,
searching new approaches, solutions, bi-regional
coordination and inter/intra regional
actions in the fight against illicit drug
and related crimes.
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the
worsening of the problem of production,
trafficking and consumption of illicit drugs
in the two regions, and the sophisticated
trafficking methods developed by criminal
organisations; and the gravity of the drugs
situation, which threatens to undermine
democratic institutions and affect political
and economic stability.
CONFIRMING that effective
bi-regional cooperation in the fight against
the scourge of illicit drugs contributes to
overcoming poverty, protecting the
environment, security, and the strengthening
of the democratic institutional framework.
REAFFIRMING the
commitments set out in the Declaration of
Guadalajara, particularly in Articles 26,
27, 28 and 86,
WE DECLARE THAT WE AGREE
ON THE FOLLOWING POINTS, ACTIONS AND
COMMITMENTS:
I) Bi-regional
commitments and strengthening of the
Mechanism
1.- We confirm that the
fight against illicit drugs and related
crimes is a first priority of our
cooperation and we commit ourselves to
continue providing the adequate resources
for this purpose. In the light of that
objective, we acknowledge the importance of
national, regional, bi-regional as well as
bi-lateral activities and, in this context,
we welcome the inter-regional programs
funded under the European Commission’s
budget line for North-South Co-operation to
fight against illicit drugs.
2.- We reaffirm the need
to develop and strengthen the bi-regional
Mechanism on drugs with a view to
implementing bi-regional actions in
accordance with the commitments set out in
the Declaration of Guadalajara, taking
account of the aim of the Mechanism as a
forum for identifying approaches and
exchanging proposals, ideas and experiences
in the prevention and reduction of the
consumption and the fight against the
production, trafficking of illicit drugs.
3.- We reiterate our bi-regional
commitment to tackling the worldwide drugs
problem in accordance with the principle of
shared responsibility and based on a global
and balanced focus which ensures effective
results in practice.
4.- We agree to expand
the areas of cooperation within the
framework of the Mechanism for activities of
mutual interest, in accordance with national
legislation..
5.- We reiterate our
commitment to a closer bi-regional political
dialogue, as well as, where appropriate,
coordinated actions in international fora,
in particular, in the presentation and joint
sponsoring of draft resolutions at the
United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs
(CND).
II) Bi-regional
commitments based on the conclusions of the
two thematic discussions
6.- Initiatives and
information exchanges aimed at reducing
production and controlling trafficking in
illicit drugs:
a) We will promote a
balanced and integrated bi-regional focus
for cooperation in the fight against
illicit drugs, taking account of the
different challenges faced by the various
areas and sub-regions in the production
and trafficking chain in order to
make our efforts more effective and
coordinated.
b) We agree to promote
integrated and sustainable alternative
development. including preventative
alternative development and comprehensive
anti-poverty programs as a principle means
to creating conditions to facilitate the
substitution and prevention of illegal
crops, as well as to generate viable and
sustainable economic activities for
communities affected by the world drug
problem.
c) Both sides discussed
the exchange of intelligence information
in order to fight against illicit drug
trafficking. In this context, the existing
models of EUROPOL and CIMA and the CLACIP
project were presented. On this basis, the
possibilities for further cooperation in
this area would be explored.
d) We will strengthen
the necessary communications and
procedures within the Mechanism through
exchanges of information and experience,
in order to further develop effective
control over chemical precursors used in
the production of drugs.
e) We intend to
continue to work within the framework of
the Mechanism on initiatives to improve
air and maritime control of drug
trafficking within and between the two
regions. We acknowledge the specific
challenge to the Caribbean countries posed
by the traffic and use of illicit drugs
and related crimes . To this end, we note
the need for closer maritime cooperation
within the Caribbean and with Central
America and we welcome the adoption of
regional and bilateral cooperation
agreements in that field.
f) We will make every
effort to implement effective bi-regional
cooperation aimed at improving port
control capacities, by providing expertise
and by making the exchange of information
more flexible.
g) We agree to
reinforce international cooperation to
promote closer co-operation between the
competent national authorities and with
bodies such as Europol and Eurojust,
according to mutual interest.
h) We welcome the
results and commitments reached within the
framework of the VIth meeting of the Joint
Follow Up group of Chemical Precursor
Agreements and the VIIIth High Level
Specialized Dialogue on Drugs between the
Andean Community and the European Union,
held in Lima, Peru, from May 30 through
June 1, 2005.
i) We welcome the
efforts made by Central America to
reinforce regional cooperation in the
fight against drugs, particularly as
regards the exchange of information, by
strengthening the regional police
intelligence network and by implementing
plans at Central American level on the
control of illicit drugs and against
organised crime and young criminal gangs.
j) We also welcome the
coordinated efforts made by the MERCOSUR
member and associated countries to reduce
drug demand and to fight production and
trafficking of illicit drugs in the sub-region,
in the framework of their Specialized
Meeting of Drugs Authorities, which next
session will be held on June 06th
and 7th in Asuncion, Paraguay.
k) We welcome the
continued support of the European Union
and its Member States in helping to
address the problem of illicit drugs and
related crimes through its co-operation
activities in areas ranging from
alternative development, demand reduction,
money laundering and precursor control to
policy development. The EU and its Member
States have devoted significant resources
to the support of initiatives in these
areas.
7.- Strengthening
local capacities to reduce demand and risks:
a) In the context of
the fight against illicit drugs, we
acknowledge the devastating effects of
drugs on society and, accordingly, we
agree to use the Cooperation and
Coordination Mechanism to promote
additional initiatives in the areas of
prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and
integration of addicts.
b) We confirm our
commitment to working within the framework
of bi-regional cooperation to strengthen
the capacities of local communities and
give them a major role in the fight
against drugs, and to organising bi-regional
exchanges of experience on local capacity
building .
c) We reiterate our
commitment to promoting initiatives at bi-regional
level to increase and improve cooperation
between and within regions, and to
facilitating the creation of jointly-financed
bi‑regional projects.
d) We will promote bi-regional
exchanges of information in the fight
against drugs by organising new
initiatives aimed at increasing expertise
and effectiveness, and to explore ways to
build up capacity in this area.
e) We will seek to
promote the development and exchange of
scientific knowledge in order to make
prevention , treatment and risks reduction
more effective.
f) As regards demand
reduction, we emphasize the importance of
extending cooperation to school and
community based prevention, including
experience sharing.
III) Bi-regional
cooperation initiatives implemented in
accordance with the VIth Meeting of the
Mechanism in Dublin, and those planned for
the second half of 2005
8.- We welcome the
success of the first and second training
courses on dismantling illicit synthetic
drug laboratories, given by EUROPOL in
Buenos Aires (from June 22 trough 30 2004)
and El Salvador (from April 18 trough 27
2005). The dynamic format and content of the
courses enabled the two regions to carry out
significant exchanges of expertise and
experience in this field.
9.- We support the
organisation of the first ever bi-regional
meeting on drugs observatories to be held in
Venezuela in the second half of 2005 within
the framework of the Mechanism. This will
enable observatories from the two regions to
benefit from exchanges of information and
technical experience in the field of
collection and analysis of data related to
the drugs phenomenon. In this context we
welcome the co-financing of the event by
Venezuela, the UK and the European
Commission.
10.- We recognise the
importance of developing closer bi-regional
links by organising further contacts to
facilitate the exchange of information in
such a way as to benefit both regions.
IV) Programming of the
VIIIth Meeting of the High-Level Mechanism
in Austria and formal agreement on the new
LAC Co-Presidency
We agree to hold the 8th
High Level Meeting of the Mechanism of
Cooperation and Coordination in matters of
drugs between the European Union, Latin
America and the Caribbean in the city of
Vienna under the co-presidency of Austria
and Costa Rica on 6 and 7 March 2006.
