§ Mr. AlexanderTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his EU colleagues about combating drug trafficking within the European Union. [145322]
§ Mrs. RocheI have been asked to reply.
I have regular meetings with European Union colleagues, where the issue of combating drug trafficking is discussed, including attendance at the European Union Justice and Home Affairs Council and other forums. Last year, the United Kingdom successfully negotiated key elements of the Prime Minister's initiative on drugs, aimed at strengthening the European Union response to drugs problems, into the European Union Action Plan on Drugs 2000–04. The United Kingdom is also playing a central role in European Union-funded drugs twinning projects in Bulgaria and Romania designed to block the Balkans drug trafficking route into the European Union.