CSAT: "The consumption of drugs and other narcotic substances harms national security values"

The use of drugs and other narcotic substances harms the values of national security, established yesterday the members of the Supreme Council of Defense of the Country, who decided to set up an inter-institutional working group that in the coming period will develop a common plan of action in order to prevent and of effectively combating the risks generated by drug trafficking and consumption to individual and collective safety, it is stated in the press release issued by the Presidential Administration.

The quoted source states: "CSAT members have come to the conclusion that, due to the gravity, the ways of manifestation, the repeatability of the actions and the cumulative damage caused both in terms of health, by endangering life or its quality, and in terms of public safety, on the background of connecting our country to international routes and routes of transfer/transport of narcotics, the use of drugs and other narcotic substances harms the values of national security provided by the Constitution and legislation in the field of national security. Thus, the legal order and the climate of unrestricted exercise of the rights, freedoms and fundamental duties of citizens are affected. Managing the phenomenon of preventing and combating drug use among young people and students, including specialized treatment, rehabilitation, social reintegration and recovery, requires a joint, multidisciplinary national effort, with the involvement of government institutions, intelligence services, Ministry structures Public, local authorities and civil society. Last but not least, the consumer's family is particularly important and has an essential role in this complex process. Thus, the members of the Council decided to set up an inter-institutional working group made up of state secretaries, nominated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities, representatives of the Romanian Intelligence Service, prosecutors appointed by the Public Ministry and specialists from affiliated institutions, under the coordination of the Romanian Government".

Apart from the inter-institutional working group at the central level, in the fight against drug trafficking and consumption, the operational working groups that will be established at the level of each county in the country will also be involved, groups that will be made up of specialists and experts appointed by the other responsible institutions.

At the same time, according to the CSAT decision, the Government will adopt several measures to strengthen the authorities that are directly responsible for combating serious criminal phenomena, including drug trafficking and consumption. Among those measures are the following: proposals to amend and supplement the legislation that sanctions drug trafficking and consumption in order to eliminate legislative loopholes and limit the possibilities of speculative interpretation of legal provisions; guaranteeing an appropriate, coherent and efficient health institutional framework that ensures the expansion of access to treatment and services for recovery, specific investigations and integrated protection measures against the risks associated with the consumption of narcotic substances among students and young people; the rigorous implementation of the National Framework Action Plan on school safety, a cooperation mechanism that provides, along with measures to ensure an optimal climate in educational institutions, for students and teachers, and concrete measures on the issue of drugs, as well as the Plan of action for the implementation of the National Strategy in the field of drugs 2022-2026.

• Security in the Black Sea area and endowment of the Army - two important topics for CSAT

Another important topic analyzed by the members of the Council was the security situation in the Black Sea Region, against the background of the latest developments, in the context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

CSAT members noted that over the last month the security situation in the region has significantly deteriorated, as a result of increased hostile actions by Russia to security and freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. The press release issued by the Presidential Administration states: "The intensification of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine's maritime and river ports in the Black Sea area has brought the war even closer to Romania's borders. Incidents with fragments of drones falling on the territory of our country and implicitly of NATO have increased the risk of escalation. (...) Our country received from all Allies and partners significant political and practical support, which also included the air police component and surveillance of the airspace above the Black Sea.

During the meeting, the Ministry of National Defense presented a set of concrete measures to increase the capacity of aerial surveillance, detection and intervention, depending on the situation, in the regions in the vicinity of the Ukrainian objectives targeted by the Russian attacks".

Regarding the Endowment Plan of the Romanian Army for the period 2024-2033, CSAT members observed that the major change in the regional security situation generated by the aggressive posture of the Russian Federation determined the reanalysis, reprioritization and reconfiguration of the endowment programs for the endowment and development of capabilities military necessary to counter the new threats, including by increasing, within them, the acquisition of the quantities of ammunition necessary for the fight and for the gradual building up of stocks.

That is why, in the context of maintaining the budget allocations for Defense at 2.5% of GDP, CSAT decided that "the Romanian Army will focus its strategic efforts to strengthen the defense capacity at the national level and in the Allied framework, in order to deter and combat in effectively against all types of classic, asymmetric, hybrid or other threats".

The cited press release specifies that the land, naval and air forces will be equipped "with high-performance military equipment and technology, compatible and interoperable with those existing in the armies of the other NATO and EU member states, to ensure both the fulfillment of deterrence and defense missions, as well as and their long-term viability through the level of efficiency and technological development".

Moreover, in order to protect the essential security interests and ensure the security of supply, CSAT decided that it is necessary for the national territory to have industrial capacities that can ensure both the production of modern military equipment for equipping the peacetime force structure and maintaining operational status of the purchased equipment, as well as the manufacture/development of new equipment to contribute to the multiplication of military capabilities in crisis or war situations.

At the end of yesterday's meeting, the CSAT members also discussed the situation in Israel and the terrorist attacks by the Hamas group, which resulted in the loss of human life and injuries among civilians.

CSAT decided that the Bucharest authorities should continue efforts to provide support to Romanian citizens who are in Israel and Gaza, with a view to their repatriation, as well as to provide consular assistance. Until last night, approximately 2,035 Romanians were repatriated.