NOTING:
− that differences exist among Member States with regard to the quality of interventions and services provided to reduce drug demand and that minimum quality standards in drug demand reduction in EU are desirable to bridge the gaps between existing practices and to raise the overall level of quality;

− that Europe, after years of experience and research, has gathered sufficient evidence on the degree of effectiveness of various drug demand reduction interventions to allow a set of minimum quality standards to be agreed at EU level;

− that the implementation of minimum quality standards can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of drug prevention programmes, harm reduction services and drug treatment and rehabilitation;

− that the current budgetary situation requires decision-makers to attain sustainable health care while ensuring a high level of quality, accessibility and coverage of effective and diversified drug demand reduction measures;

− that the objective of these Council Conclusions is to support Member States in embedding coordinated, best practice and quality approaches in drug demand reduction, they do not constitute a call for new EU legislation.

RECALLING:
− that under Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, a high level of human health protection shall be ensured in the definition and implementation of all Union policies and activities, and Union action which is to complement national policies shall be directed towards improving public health, and also to encourage cooperation between the Member States in the field of public health and, if necessary, lend support to their action, and fully respect the responsibilities of the Member States for the definition of their health policy and for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care;

− the EU Drugs Strategy 2013-2020, which calls for the development and implementation of quality standards in prevention (environmental, universal, selective and indicated), early detection and intervention, risk and harm reduction, treatment, rehabilitation, social reintegration and recovery;

− action 9 of the EU Action Plan on Drugs 2013-2016, which builds on a similar action in the Action Plan on Drugs 2009-2012 and which requires the Council, the Horizontal Working Party on Drugs, the Member States, the European Commission and the EMCDDA to “agree and commence the implementation of EU minimum quality standards, that help bridge the gap between science and practice, for: (a) environmental, universal, selective and indicated prevention measures; (b) early detection and intervention measures; (c) risk and harm reduction measures; and (d) treatment, rehabilitation, social integration and recovery measures”;

− the recommendations made by the Civil Society Forum on Drugs in December 2014, calling for the adoption of European minimum quality standards and gradual implementation supported by sufficient funding;

− the results of projects such as Study on the Development of an EU Framework for Minimum quality standards and benchmarks in drug demand reduction (EQUS), European Drug Prevention Quality Standards (EDPQS) and practical experience and evidence gathered at the EMCDDA Best Practice Portal;

− the outcomes of the conference on minimum quality standards organised by the European Commission in July 2011 and the public consultation on the Commission communication “Towards a stronger European response to drugs”, supporting the establishment of European minimum quality standards.

SETS OUT EU minimum quality standards in drug demand reduction, in the areas of prevention, risk and harm reduction, treatment and rehabilitation, with a view to supporting and promoting a qualitative approach in drug demand reduction interventions in the EU: