European Commission proposal for a Regulation on monitoring trade between the Community and third countries in drug precursors : initial appraisal of a European Commission impact assessment

This note seeks to provide an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European Commission's Impact Assessment (IA) accompanying the proposal for a Regulation amending Council Regulation (EC) No 111/2005 laying down rules for the monitoring of trade between the Community and third countries in drug precursors. Drug precursors are chemical substances that may be produced for licit purposes, but which can be misused for illegal drug production. A specific regulatory framework has been set up both at international level and within the EU to prevent the diversion of drug precursors to illicit drug production. A European Commission report of 7 January 2010 on the implementation and functioning of the Community legislation on monitoring and control of drug precursors identified weaknesses in the current control system. On 25 May 2010, the Council of the European Union invited the Commission 'to set up a work programme to address the identified weaknesses in close cooperation with the Member States and to propose legislative amendments before the end of 2011 after carefully assessing their potential impact on Member States' authorities and economic operators.'4 The present proposal and the IA accompanying it deal with the extra-EU trade component of the problem, whereas a separate proposal and IA address the intra-EU trade aspects.