Scope:

Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 (intra-EU trade regulation) and Regulation (EC) No 111/2005 (external trade regulation) on drug precursors

Evaluation findings:

The evaluation mainly concluded that additional action with regard to non-scheduled substances, in particular designer-precursors, is necessary. Designer-precursors are close chemical relatives of a scheduled drug precursor that are purpose-made to circumvent controls by the authorities and usually do not have any known legitimate use. Until designer precursors became an increasing issue, effective monitoring and control of the legitimate trade of drug precursors was the best way of fighting against their diversion for illicit drug manufacture.

The evaluation also found that some aspects of the Regulations could be improved, such as rules concerning the diversion of auxiliary drug precursors and Acetic Anhydride from intra-EU trade, reducing the administrative burden for economic operators and competent authorities and stricter control of online-trading platforms.

Estimated savings and benefits

Although the key benefit (prevention of diversion) cannot be monetised, the evaluation offered sufficient indications to the effect that the efficiency of the Regulations is not in doubt. The costs they engender for both authorities and operators cannot be regarded as excessive and their contribution to obtaining significant benefits (though not amenable to quantification) was widely recognised. Nevertheless, the evaluation has also shown that there may be room for improving efficiency, in particular in the field of external trade, by shortening the deadlines for pre-export notifications and introducing thresholds for a number of obligations and an electronic system for import and export authorisations (eLicensing) and to automate the validation of those authorisations by national customs authorities in context of the EU Single Window environment for customs initiative.

Which objective(s) does the Commission pursue?

The general objectives of this initiative are

• to reduce the availability of drug precursors for illicit drug manufacturing by preventing the diversion and trafficking of drug precursors;

• to improve the functioning of the internal market and external trade for licit transactions with such chemical substances.

The specific objective is to adapt the rules to the evolving nature of illicit drug production while improving the clarity of the rules, their enforcement of competent authorities and unity of application, as well as the transmission of information along the supply chain, and reducing administrative burdens.