ABD participates in the new Civil Society Forum on Drugs of the European Commission

Asociación Bienestar y Desarrollo ABD is integrated into a working group that will prepare the European Union’s drug strategy and action plan.

ABD has recently been selected as a member of the Civil Society Forum on Drugs (CSFD). In this sense, on July 3 and 4, the organization participated in the first plenary session of the CSFD that was held in Brussels.

The representative of ABD in the Forum of Civil Society on Drugs, Mireia Ventura, explains the work of this group of experts of the European Commission.

What is the CSFD?

The CSFD is an expert group to the European Commission. It is a broad platform for a structured dialogue between the Commission and the European civil society which supports policy formulation and implementation through practical advice in the area of drug policy. Its members are civil society organisations (CSOs) from around Europe with broad experience of drug policy from a range of perspectives. Its mandate is renewed every 2/3 years.

How is it organised?

Members of the forum are selected by the European Commission , which also finances and organises a plenary meeting for all members in Brussels every year. As there are lots of members, it makes sense to form working groups. Currently, there are four working groups:

– WG1 on the EU drug strategy and action plan

– WG2 on institutional relations with the EU and international structures

– WG 3 on civil society engagement in national drug policies

– WG4 on quality standards At the first plenary session of a new mandate, members of the forum elect a chair of each of the WGs, as well as a vice chair and a chair of the forum as a whole. This group forms the “core group” , who coordinate the work of the forum and of the WGs throughout its mandate as well as liaising with external actors on the forum’s behalf.

ABD is involved in the WG1. This Workgroup is mandated by the CSF to carry out work on behalf of the CSFD in relation to the EU Action Plan on Drugs. This includes the following activities which are supported under the European CSFD project:

– A report on the implementation of the EU Action Plan

– Advocacy tools, which build on the report on the implementation of the Action Plan

– A video resource to communicate the findings and recommendations of the report to non-expert audiences

– Four case studies highlighting successes, gaps and challenges in the implementation of the EU plan at national/local levels.

ABD interventions depend on how people use drugs and in which context. We offer personalised treatments, preventive and harm reduction programmes for consumers, as well as, risk reduction programmes for young people who use drugs recreationally. We promote their consumption in a conscious and informed way and defend the right to health care and social inclusion for people with addictions.