User:Ana.Trudov/Groupe Pompidou

The Pompidou Group or Co-operation Group against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is an intergovernmental body of the Council of Europe whose main activity is co-operation in the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking. It was set up in 1971 on the initiative of French President Georges Pompidou. It upholds the fundamental values of the Council of Europe - human rights, democracy and the rule of law - and encourages a balanced approach in responding to drug use and illicit trafficking by supporting demand and supply reduction.

The Group comprises 41 Member States, but its activities involve cooperation with other countries around the world, particularly around the Mediterranean.

History
The Cooperation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was established in 1971 on the initiative of Georges Pompidou, then President of the French Republic.

In his letter of 6 August 1971 addressed to the Prime Ministers of the five other countries of the European Economic Community (Germany, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) and to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Georges Pompidou expressed his alarm at the "spectacular increase in drug addiction", particularly among young people, and proposed a coordinated European fight against drug trafficking. The French President was aware of the need for long-term action and the multidisciplinary nature of the challenge to be met by a "permanent body bringing together experts in the fields of law enforcement, the fight against drug addiction, public health and education".

In March 1980, the decision was taken to enter into the political and legal framework of the Council of Europe by means of Resolution (80) 2 of the Committee of Ministers, which set up a "Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs", while retaining the name of its initiator (Pompidou Group). The Resolution was adopted by the 10 countries participating in the Group at the time, joined by Turkey. It conferred on the Pompidou Group the status of an Enlarged Agreement of the Council of Europe. The Resolution entrusted the Pompidou Group with the task of "examining from a multidisciplinary point of view the problems of drug abuse and trafficking", while laying down its operating rules. It was supplemented a few months later, in September 1980, to deal with a specific problem: the defrayal of interpretation costs. The Group's articles of association have remained unchanged since that date, although its objectives and activities have evolved significantly in line with developments in Europe and around the world.

After its integration into the Council of Europe, the Group continued to develop, reaching 35 member states in the 2000s. From 2010 it went through a period of great turbulence, against the background of the financial crisis and political tensions: five member countries decided to withdraw (Denmark, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom); six other countries joined the Group at the same time, including for the first time non-European states (Morocco, Israel, Mexico).

Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of ensuring full respect for human rights in the adoption and implementation of human rights policies, in accordance with the Council of Europe's core mission. The Group has also taken the initiative to introduce a gender dimension into its action and has developed co-operation activities in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. This refocusing and these efforts have helped to restore the Group's relevance and activity, as evidenced by the successive accessions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Monaco and Mexico.

The Ministerial Conference of 27-28 November 2018, held in Stavanger, provided an opportunity to take stock of activities for the period 2015-2018, elect a new presidency (Portugal), adopt a programme of work for the period 2019-2022 and a political declaration (the "Stavanger Declaration"), marking the launch of a process to review the mandate, functioning and working methods of the Pompidou Group. A revised Statute should be adopted by the Committee of Ministers on the occasion of the Group's 50th anniversary, to be celebrated in 2021.

The Group's enlargement process continued with the accession of Armenia and Georgia in 2020. Today it brings together 41 Member States.

Member States
The Pompidou Group comprises 41 Member States