The new National Drugs Strategy for 2009–2016 (NDS) includes a blueprint for enhancing Ireland’s role in the international drugs policy arena.1 The Steering Group that drafted the NDS states: ‘Properly co-ordinated international co-operation can, and will, add value to the new NDS’. 

Table 6.5 of the new NDS lists eight ‘key EU and other groups and committees’ on which Ireland is represented and the government departments and agencies which attend these meetings.  The roles of these bodies are outlined in Table 1. It is through work on these groups and committees that the anticipated additional value may be expected to be delivered. The work of these bodies will, in turn, be driven by the goals and objectives agreed at international and national level, which are listed in Table 2.