Closing the 18th Ministerial Conference of the Council of Europe’s Pompidou Group, ministers and high-level participants from 41 Pompidou Group member states have called for a human rights centred approach to address drug addictions and related disorders.
In their “Lisbon Declaration”, participants furthermore called for exploring strategies to address addictions related to the use of communication and information technologies, as part of a broad policy direction to be followed by the Pompidou Group over the near future.
Portugal, which has been presiding the Pompidou Group since 2019, hosted the two-day conference, which gathered some 150 participants, including ministers, representatives from 46 governments and six international organisations or agencies, as well as drug policy experts, law enforcement, health and justice officials, and civil society representatives.
Before adopting their declaration, participants assessed the impact of current trends in drug trafficking, from increased use of performance- and image-enhancing drugs to behavioural addictions, such as excessive and compulsive video gaming, gambling and online shopping.
On the basis of a report drawn up by the Pompidou Group’s Permanent Correspondents, conference participants also reviewed activities and achievements under Portugal’s presidency and adopted a new work programme for 2023-2025.
The conference inaugurates a new era, as Portuguese Health Minister Manuel Pizarro handed over its four-year presidency to Italy, represented by the Under Secretary of State of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Alfredo Mantovano. Switzerland has been named Pompidou Group's Vice-President.
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