The EU drugs action plan (2009–12) includes wide-ranging measures to strengthen European cooperation to curb the adverse consequences of drug use and cut drug-related crime. It is conceived around five priorities:
• reducing the demand for drugs;
• mobilising European citizens;
• reducing supply;
• improving international cooperation;
• and improving understanding of the drugs phenomenon

Illicit drugs are a major concern for the citizens of Europe, a major threat to the security and health of European society and a threat to living conditions worldwide.

In December 2004, the European Council unanimously endorsed the EU Drugs Strategy for 2005-2012 (1), which aims to achieve a high level of protection, well-being and social cohesion by preventing and reducing drug use.

The adoption of the Strategy in itself gave a clear signal that political concern about drugs across the European Union transcends the differences in approach that exist among Member States. The Strategy, implemented by two successive EU Drugs Action Plans, confirmed that all Member States subscribe to the same set of basic principles: that there should be a balanced approach to reducing the supply and demand for drugs, which is based first and foremost on the fundamental principles of EU law and, in every regard, upholds the founding values of the Union: respect for human dignity, liberty, democracy, equality, solidarity, the rule of law and human rights. The Strategy and its Action Plans aim to protect and improve the well-being of society and of the individual, to protect public health, to offer a high level of security for the general public. This should be accompanied by horizontal measures in which drug policy is based on reliable data regarding the nature and extent of the problem, on — increasingly — cross-border — coordination and on cooperation with and towards third countries and international organisations. The Strategy and its Action Plans are also based on the relevant UN Conventions, which are major legal instruments for addressing the world drug problem.

The Drugs Strategy also provides the framework for two consecutive four-year Action Plans. The first Action Plan (2005-2008) (2) set out over 80 actions to help coordinate major areas of government intervention in the field of illegal drugs, covering public health, law enforcement, customs, criminal justice and external relations. While implementation is often the responsibility of the Member States, the Commission plays an active part in facilitating and evaluating the work in progress, in addition to monitoring anti-drug legislation, such as Council Framework Decision 2004/757/JHA on Illicit Drug Trafficking, on which it will report in mid 2009. Moreover, guided by the lessons learnt over the past four years, the Commission is now proposing a second Action Plan (2009-2012) to be endorsed by the Council.