Part II Institutions, s.3 Institutions Based on Partial or Enlarged Agreements, 17 Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs (Pompidou Group)

Subject(s):

Democracy — Responsibility of international organizations — Rule of law

This chapter highlights the Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs (Pompidou Group). The Pompidou Group is an organisation for inter-governmental co-operation in the area of drug policy, based on a Partial Agreement linked with the Council of Europe (CoE). The Group was initiated in 1971 by the former President of France, Georges Pompidou, as the very first platform in Europe in the field of drug policy, in response to the rising drug problems of the late 1960s and early 1970s, when an increasing use of drugs emerged as a social phenomenon among young people in Europe. From here, this chapter describes the origins and development of the Pompidou Group, before presenting a detailed overview of the organisation. It discusses the Group’s structure and financing, its working methods and tools, its activities and major achievements, its role in the international context, as well as its future prospects.