At the level of working groups, HDG is the main coordinating body in the field of drugs in the General Secretariat of the Council. The group consists of representatives from the Member States’ ministries and organisations responsible for national drug policies, which deal with both demand reduction and public order protection. Consequently, the ministries involved are usually those of health, internal affairs or justice.

The main goals of the Group are the following:

• to exchange information and assess national drug policies and drug-related issues at an EU level.
• to identify key issues shared by more than one Member State;
• to improve coordination of actions taken by the Member States within the EU and beyond its borders;
• additionally, HDG prepares drafts of Drug Strategies and EU Action Plans in the field of drugs.

Apart from the Member States, HDG participants include representatives from the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), the European Law Enforcement Agency Europol and relevant organisational units of the European Commission. The Group’s meetings take place monthly and are chaired by the Member State holding the EU Presidency at the time.

Within the Council, HDG is the coordinating element on drug-related matters, in terms of reducing both supply and demand.

Issues related to supply reduction are also dealt with in the following Working Groups:

• The Police Cooperation Working Group (PCWG).
• The Multidisciplinary Group on Organised Crime (MDG).
• The Customs cooperation working party
• The Customs Union Group.

Issues related to demand reduction are also discussed at meetings of the Public Health Working Group.

In March 2007, coordination of Polish HDG representatives at the Ministry level was taken over by the Ministry of Interior and Administration from the Ministry of Health. Within the Group, KBPN representatives are responsible for issues related to the widely understood concept of demand reduction while police experts deal with supply reduction issues.

The tasks of the Polish representatives are the following:

• to prepare instructions for HDG meetings;
• to carry out consultations between the Ministries (in particular concerning Poland’s standpoint on international and legal matters);
• to prepare reports from HDG meetings;
• to prepare guidelines for the meetings between the Ministry of Interior and Administration and the Ministry of Justice (JHA Council) regarding any matters on counteracting drug addiction;
• to prepare commentaries and justifications to legal acts on counteracting drug addiction discussed at the meetings of KERM (the European Committee of the Council of Ministers);
• to prepare the Polish standpoint regarding international initiatives undertaken within HDG (the "Troïka" meetings with delegations from specific Member States, Technical Committee EU – LAC meetings, the Dublin Group, the Paris Pact, sessions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, etc.).

Meetings of National Drugs Coordinators (NDC) are held as part of HDG.

• The meetings are held once during the Presidency term.
• The Director of KBPN is the National Drugs Coordinator for Poland.
• The meetings are a platform for discussion about internal legislation on counteracting drug addiction and an opportunity to exchange experience between EU Member States.

Regularly, meetings with the delegates of the selected regions and third countries within the EU’s area of interest are held as part of HDG. These regions and countries include:

• Russia;
• Turkey;
• the Western Balkans;
• USA (the so called Transatlantic Dialogue);
• Western Africa.

Moreover, HDG holds regular meetings with the Andes Community and, as part of the Technical Committee EU/LAC, with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.