Confronting the world drug problem is a common challenge for all of us; in this light Drugs are an important chapter of the EU-CELAC relations. Furthermore, the EU has developed a comprehensive set of political, operational and technical exchanges and cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean on this issue including the establishment of the Cooperation Programme on drugs Policies COPOLAD, which contributes in the consecration of a comprehensive, balanced and evidence-based approach. This programme similarly generates better exchange of information, coordination and cooperation between national agencies and other actors responsible for Drug policies within the two regions to tackle the World Drug Problem. Due to the success of this programme, in 2015 COPOLAD II was conceived with the same principles of his predecessor, and to support the fights against the diversion of precursors. Read paper
Jolita Butkeviciene is the Director for Latin America and Caribbean at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid. For thirteen years Mrs Butkeviciene worked at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in the area of negotiations on services trade and services development. She joined the European Commission during 2007 where she has undertaken different management positions. Her formal background and experience is in the field of quantitative economics and international trade law and negotiations.
This paper was prepared for the EU-LAC Foundation Newsletter on "The Drug World Problem" of March 2016.