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P-PG (2006) 1 REV 2


Pompidou Group
Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs

Version 19September 2006

Summary reporton the results ofthe

2004 – 2006 Work Programme

Foreword

This report covers a period of significant transition for the PG. Since its creation in 1971 the PG has played an important role in the field of drug policy. However the changed European context in recent years has made this role less clear. Consequently, the Dutch Presidency has given the highest priority to a process of evaluation and re-structuring the role and function of the PG.

In the past 3 years the Group has worked hard on this. Permanent Correspondents have produced an assessment report, redefining the role and function of the PG as a body that endeavours to concentrate on connecting policy, science and day-to-day practice. Newly introduced “Platforms” have enabled the various disciplines to discuss a wide variety of issues, in the open and creative way which has long been a good PG tradition.

As a result of this we are able to present in this report the first set of “signals” coming from these platforms. On basis of these signals the Permanent Correspondents have formulated conclusions that our ministers can use when developing and implementing drug policies.

I think the Group can be proud of the results. However we must realize that the process is not complete. Permanent Correspondents must continue working hard on this in the coming years; member States must invest in it by giving the Pompidou Group political and financial support, and by sending highly qualified, dynamic and positive people to the platforms and to the meetings of Permanent Correspondents.

Drug policies can only be effective if they are based on a realistic assessment of day–to-day practice, making use of the available scientific capacities and of the right policy tools. I am convinced that the Pompidou Group, by playing this unique role, can continue making an important contribution to the development of future European drug policies.

Bob Keizer, Chairman of the Permanent Correspondents

Preparing for the future

Assessment for future perspectives

1.The Pompidou Group was charged with two main tasks under its 2004 – 2006 Work Programme adopted during the Ministerial Conference in Dublin in October 2003. Ministers agreed to review the mandate of the Group and assess its potential for future role in the family of international organisations; and they agreed to new working methods better to meet the set objectives.

2.An overall evaluation of the Pompidou Group took place during the period under the auspices of an Audit Committee of Permanent Correspondents. Its key conclusion was that linking theory, practice and policy remains an important strength of the Group, as does its capacity to organise effective multidisciplinary work. The Group’s functions and working methods allow comparatively small investments to yield timely and practical results for various stakeholders. This is well exemplified in the pilot projects and experimental activities of the PG and demonstrated in think tank-type “platform” activities. The bridging role to the greater Europe beyond the European Union, and the freedom of its deliberations from the constraints of legally binding instruments and political commitments, make the PG a valuable forum for innovative policy development and for filling gaps that other organisations cannot easily fill.

3.The evaluation results underline that the Pompidou Group’s working methods give it access to extensive operational-level expertise, that the over-all quality of its products is high and that its operational costs are comparatively low. However they also showed the Group’s low level of visibility, and the need for it to sharpen its profile vis-à-vis other international bodies, in particular the European Union’s institutions (HDG, EMCDDA, Commission). This will be a key challenge for the future work programme, one that the new working methods are intended to address.

4.Ministers are invited to endorse the identified strengths of the PG by adopting the 2007 – 2010 Work Programme. It is recommended that this be achieved with particular attention being given to cooperation with other organisations in order to create synergy effects and so as to make better use of resources by avoiding overlap. Ministers are further invited to agree that an additional key role for the Pompidou Group should continue to be its bridging role with countries outside the EU, in particular in Eastern Europe and Northern Africa.

New working methods

5.The new working methods are based on the concept of ‘Platforms’. The main functions of the Platforms are to introduce practitioners’ knowledge and experience into the policy making process and to identify and promote examples of good practice in the successful implementation of policies.Their role is to offer insights from the perspective of practice to help develop policies and academic research. It should be emphasized that the insights offered by the platforms do not necessarily reflect the positions of Permanent Correspondents or national governments. The ‘signals’ from the Platforms are suggestions and information on the state of the arts and recent trends directedto governments, not recommendations of governments. The ‘signals’ are either evidence based, science based or the result of innovative experimentation.

6.The Pompidou Group has set up Platforms in the fields of Criminal Justice, Airports Cooperation, Prevention and Treatment. Additional Platforms on Ethics & Human Rights and Research have a transversal role, ensuring that these issues are addressed across policy areas. A summary of signals highlighting new trends, developments and challenges, as well effective policies and practice, are included in this document.

7.Different assessment procedures implemented as part of an on-going monitoring process to assess the effectiveness of the Platforms in reaching their anticipated objectives have been carried out throughout the 3 year work cycle. The conclusions show that the Platforms have been successfully implemented as a new working method and can, pending adjustments of the specific mandates based on the initial experiences, serve the Pompidou Group well in achieving its ambitious mission effectively and efficiently.

Observations of Permanent Correspondents onPlatform signals

Discussions of the results of the 2003-2006 Work Programme during PC meetings lead to the following general observations and conclusions.The results of the work of the Pompidou Group illustrate the success of the reform process of the Pompidou Group. On basis of the work of the PG and its platforms a number of issues should be recognised as of particular concern and relevance to effective policies. To achieve greater successes Permanent Correspondents are of the opinion that the following aspects should be regularly borne in mind when developing and implementing drugs policies:

8.Communication between stakeholders:Clarification and definition of the role, position, responsibilities of stakeholders in the drugs field to better coordinate research, policy making and professional action is needed to develop more effective policies. Policy makers need to request clear and specific guidance from research and practice to develop timely policy responses to issues of pressing importance. At the same time policy makers have to be aware that the full effect and sustainability of responses can only be assured if medium and long-term back-up policies are adopted and resourced. Research and practice need to understand better, and to incorporate into their work, the legitimate demands from the public and from policy makers to deliver results in reasonable time with clear and precise indications on required action and realistically anticipated results. More synergy-orientated cooperation between stakeholders can contribute to avoid overlap and double work on the national level and on the level of international and European institutions.

9.Broad evidence base:With fundamentalvalues of a political nature serving as the starting point, policy making on drug use should also take into consideration evidence from research and experiences from practice as well as concerns about the wider implications of policies. Simple reliance on empirical data when taking policy decisions will not be sufficient. Data quality, compatibility of statistics, and causal relations, demand a deeper understanding. Existing statistics need to be combined with interpretations from multidisciplinary perspectives, to be complemented by qualitative research and to be verified by professional experience. Evidence based policies can facilitate the development of timely and targeted responses to the multi-faceted and fast evolving problems that relate to drug use. It is therefore important to realign the priorities and guidelines for the public funding of research institutions accordingly. A strategy is needed to unlock ‘hidden knowledge’ in existing data to be exploited in current and future research. Without investment in high quality data analysis the investment in statistics does not yield a valuable return.

10.Complexity:Given the complexity of problems that societies face in relation to drug use, it is crucial that a multidisciplinary approach be adopted. This will require co-operative action across sectors and disciplines and will involve a variety of relevant agencies and stakeholders. Only such intersectoral action can take into account the different dimension of a specific problem and properly ensure the effectiveness of policies and the efficient use of resources.

11.Coherence: The aims of multisectoral co-operation must be inspired and guided by policy-makers. It is consequently of importance that coherence between the political concepts and messages of policy makers on the one hand, are coherent with the messages of the different actors working in the field, on the other – not only when new policies are first implemented but also as their effects become known.

12.Analysis: Skills, tools and resources to evaluate the effect and impact of interventions need to be developed. This will require the strengthening on an evaluation culture in drugs programmes across Europe. In order to be able to develop more effective policies, the challenge now is to understand to what extent drug use and drug users are influenced by drug policy. This requires research on the policy-making process itself and its consequences, in particular to identify intended and unintended outcomes and effects.

13.Realism: The setting of unrealistic success indicators can frustrate policy approaches and constitute an obstacle in establishing what actually works and has an impact. Successful policies must have realistic expectations and verifiable results. Outcomes need to be measurable to allow for proper implementation, management and assessment. Example: policy makers should be aware that there is currently no pedagogic evidence of the effectiveness of drug testing in schools as a means of preventing drug use and abuse. In cases where drug testing in schools is considered, all relevant pedagogical and legal issues, in particular ethics and human rights related questions, need to be taken into account.

14.Balance:The vast weight of evidence favours the balanced approach in supply and demand reduction policies. A tendency to invest more in supply reduction policies can be observed on some levels. It needs to be borne in mind, however, that despite new technologies and changing patterns of drug smuggling, only balanced policies addressing all relevant can be effective in tackling the problems related to illicit drugs.

15.Experimentation:Producing an evidence base for policy making has limitations in a multifaceted field such as drugs policies since it is often difficult to establish causal relations. Hence it can be equally viable to consider science and knowledge based approaches. However it is important that these approaches do not stifle innovation and block the path for innovative policiesin accordance withtheinternational drug control system as enshrined in the UN Conventions. Within this frameworkexperimentation and unconventional approaches can help to develop new solutions and overcome existing barriers to effective policies.

Summary of Signals on…

…Prevention

The Prevention Platform identifies new approaches and technologies in achieving more effective and widespread impact with prevention efforts

Examples from practice on what works:

16.Prevention concepts and methods are difficult to evaluate because the timescales over which they can be shown to have worked are long.

17.There is, though, now a substantial body of research available on what appears likely to work with children in preventing, or at least reducing the age of onset of drug misuse. This suggests that prevention programmes that work…

  • are research based and theory driven;
  • impart developmentally appropriate information;
  • teach social resistance skills;
  • incorporate normative education;
  • include interactive teaching;
  • include close links between teachers and programme developers;
  • cover topics adequately and include enough follow-up;
  • are culturally sensitive;
  • are strengthened by family, community and media components, and by components for special populations;
  • include evaluations

18.There is also research that encapsulates what young people themselves want. They appear to want:

  • their views and opinions listened to;
  • to engage in discussion and debate;
  • their drug education to involve drama, true stories and external contributors;
  • to be taught by people who know what they are talking about;
  • not to be told to simply ‘say no’;
  • to know the range of effects of drugs;
  • to know how to cope with an emergency.

19.Some life skills approaches therefore appear to be promising.

20.Prevention programmes based at the work place can be effective in reaching parents as important actors in preventing drug use among children. They can also bring about additional value for businesses in terms of corporate image as well as human resources potential.Successful programmes have the necessary potential to allow parents to overcome what they perceive as barriers in becoming involved in drug prevention efforts.

21.Participatory approaches, particularly those involving young people as a resource and main target group of prevention activities, have shown to be effective in mobilizing new potential and capacities that can help to reach prevention goals. Making target groups stakeholders can give a higher level of credibility with peers and ensures commitment by those involved.

22.Involving target groups in prevention can facilitate more effective allocation of resources for achieving specific prevention effects. It can provide new ideas and help to develop new methods of prevention. Moreover the involvement of target groups has been shown to lead to a more lasting change in their attitudes and behaviour.

23.The use of interactive modern communications technologies, such as internet and mobile telephony, can have a significant impact in reaching target groups with prevention messages effectively. Information disseminated through the new information and communication technologies has a high credibility among young people and provides a low-threshold access to prevention services and interventions.

Barriers and obstacles on the level of policy making:

24.A major obstacle is the fact that often drug prevention messages are incoherent or even conflicting, thus challenging their credibility from the very beginning no matter how well they have been developed. Political involvement in, and commitment to, coherent programmes over time will reduce the likelihood of early failure of prevention programmes.

25.Often, drug prevention policies are based on assumptions of what will work rather than accurate information and evidence. This challenges the credibility of any prevention activity from the very beginning no matter how well it has been developed.

26.Idealistic but unrealistic expectations too often frustrate prevention efforts and are an obstacle in establishing what actually works and has an impact. Responses to mere populist opinion, without evidence of effectiveness too often fail to achieve the desired effects.

27.Shortage of money means that prevention programmes are often too short-term and too ambitious in their anticipated outcome. Such programmes, even though well designed in other respects, are likely to fail.

Barriers and obstacles on the level of administration and management:

28.There is a paucity of in evaluating the effectiveness of prevention measures skills across Europe, and a low degree of co-operation.

29.Setting of unrealistic success indicators (such as reduction of drug use in the population of children whose parents have undergone a prevention programme by 10 %) too often frustrates prevention efforts and is an obstacle in establishing what actually works and has an impact.

30.Often results are expected within an unrealistically short period of time. It may not be possible to judge the true outcomes of prevention programmes definitively for 5 – 10 years. Moreover, individual prevention activities are seldom effective in isolation: rather, they are likely to succeed cumulatively with others. Discerning the effectiveness of individual preventative programmes therefore requires a high degree of skill.

31.Not only is there a low level of professionalism in the evaluation and quality management of prevention programmes. There is also a widespread lack, among professionals charged with implementing them, in the capacity to manage networks and resources and ensure coordination and continuity.

What is needed:

32.Those developing drug prevention policies should try, as far as possible, to make them coherent in themselves and coherent to the society for which they are intended. Programmes should be based on a clearly articulated prevention message with a clear evidential and scientific base and with supporting experience from practice.

33.To avoid failure or even counter-productive effects, prevention programmes should be designed for at least the medium-term, and should have realistic objectives for their anticipated outcomes. Short-term and over-ambitious approaches should be avoided.

34.Objectives need to be realistic. Practitioners cannot promise that, as a result of their work, adolescents will never use drugs: societies are risk-inherent and the protection of young people is complicated to achieve. Prevention efforts should aim at realistic outcomes, not unachievable ideals.

35.Reference is made above to the time-lags involved in assessing the effectiveness of drug misuse prevention strategies. Nevertheless, ability to evaluate such activities in a timely manner must be developed, so as to meet the need of political decision makers for evaluation in a time-frame that is relevant to the activity under appraisal, and that is useful for deciding political options. Such timeframes are inevitably shorter than may be needed for final and definitive outcomes from prevention activities. Consequently, it may often be more feasible to apply proxy-indicators, such as the strengthening of protective factors and reduction of risk factors, in developing an evidence base for impact assessment. Provided that it is supported by a validated theory, however, this approach can produce credible and viable results on which an evidence base can be constructed.