BUILDING DRUG POLICY IN NEW EU MEMBER STATES. LITHUANIAN CASE

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BUILDING DRUG POLICY IN NEW EU MEMBER STATES.
LITHUANIAN CASE

• Dr. Rima Vaitkiene,
• Chief of the Secretariat of the
• National Health Board
• Moving Harm Reduction Policy Forward
• Kiev, 4-6 October, 2004

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Building drug policy

• Lithuania has been forming national drug
• policy in compliance with the international
• requirements and EU regulations on
• drug control and drug addiction
• prevention

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Building drug policy

• with assistance and support of the
• UN organizations (WHO, UNDP, UNAIDS)
• European Council Pompidou Group,
• Northern Dimension
• EU institutions and instruments
• EUROPOL, EMCDDA,
• EU PHARE programs

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Drug policy and sectorial policies

• legal affairs
• human rights
• national security and defence
• domestic affairs
• finance and economics
• education and science
• health and social affairs

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Lithuania in EU

• At present Lithuanian Gross Domestic Product
  (GDP) per capita is 41,4 percent of the EU average

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Lithuania in EU

• Lithuanian (LT) National development plan for
  the implementation of EU structural funds -
  Single Programming Document 2004-2006 (SPD) was
  approved by European Commission and Government of
  Lithuania

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SPD Summary SWOT Strengths

• Macroeconomic stability
• Growing economic competitiveness
• Geographical location favourable for east west
  transit
• Well educated workforce

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SPD Summary SWOT Weaknesses

• Law industrial and agriculture productivity
• High structural and youth unemployment
• High level of poverty and social exclusion
  particularly among vulnerable groups
• Health care system not structured to meet social
  needs. Insufficient access and quality of social
  services

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SPD Summary SWOT Opportunities

• EU accession and the opportunities of the EU
  common market
• Growing cooperation of the Baltic Sea States
• Continuing expansion of services sector
• Rationalisation of health care system

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SPD Summary SWOT Threats

• Increasing disparities between rural and urban
  areas and between different counties/regions
• Costs and challenges of meeting EU quality
  standarts
• Emigration of labour force, particularly highly
  qualified

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Lithuania in EU

• Over a very short period of time we had to
  harmonize legal acts with EU legislation
• We transfered 99,75 percent (2510) of EU
  directives to Lithuanian legislation

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Key EU activities on drugs

• started in 1988 with the Ratification of the UN
  Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic
  Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
• 1990 the first European Plan to combat drugs
• 1999 EU Drugs Strategy and EU Action Plan on
  Drugs (2000 2004)
• 2002 new Community Action program for Public
  Health (2003 2008)

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LT legal acts related to drug policy

• State Development Strategy
• National Security Strategy
• National Action Plan on SCHENGEN ACQUIS
• National Drug Control Strategy
• National Program on Crimes Prevention and Control

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Some legal acts related to drug policy (2)

• Lithuanian Health Program 1998 2010
• Program on Drug Control and Prevention of Drug
  Addiction for 2004-2008
• National Program on HIV/AIDS Prevention and
  Control for 2003-2008

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Some legal acts related to drug policy (3)

• Law on Health Care System
• Law on Money Laundering
• Law on Self government
• Law on Patients Rights and Health Damage
• Law on Communicable Diseases
• Law on Blood Donation

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Coordination of drug policyState level
Parliament

• Drug Control Commission
• (members of the Parliament)

• National Health Board under the Parliament
  (experts, representatives from municipalities and
  NGOs)

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Coordination of drug policyState level
Government

• Drug Control Department

• Drug Control Commission

• State Public Health Service under the Ministry of
  Health with the institutions in counties and
  municipalities

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Coordination of drug policy Local level

• Association of Municipalities of Lithuania
• Council of Municipality
• Drug Control Commission in Municipality
• Service of Municipality Doctor

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Objectives of the Program on drug control and
drug addiction prevention

• Effective system of prevention
• Improvement of legal basis
• Monitoring system and scientific research
• Partnership between national and local
  institutions, NGOs and population

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Objectives of the Program on drug control and
drug addiction prevention

• Balanced network of health and social services
  including treatment, rehabilitation, social
  reintegration and support
• Intersectorial coordination and international
  cooperation

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Problems

• Setting of priorities European Cities against
  Drugs versus Harm Reduction Policy
• Long term reforms in social and health sectors,
  employment strategies, infrastructure
  development, education of profesionals

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Problems (2)

• Adequate funding for prevention, diagnostics,
  treatment, care for vulnerable groups and
  related issues (STDs, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B,C,
  TB, RH)
• Social inclusion
• Spread of good practices
• Coordinated and integrated approach

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Coalition I can live

• Vulnerable groups coalition
• Goals to mobilize people to solve problems
  related to drug and HIV/AIDS
• Founded in February 2004
• Unites 13 NGOs
• Official partners - 4 state and municipal
  institutions

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At present and for the future

• ,,Vilnius Declaration on measures to strengthen
  responses to HIV / AIDS in the EU and in
  neighbouring countries, Vilnius, Lithuania, on 17
  September 2004
• for the Conference Europe and HIV/AIDS -
  New Challenges, New Opportunities

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At present and for the future

• European Commission Working Paper
• Coordinated and integrated approach to combat
  HIV/AIDS within the EU and its neighbourhood
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/health

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At present and for the future

• Lithuania as the new member state
• of the EU will become the
• connecting link between the EU
• and its new Eastern neighbours