BRUSSELS, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) launched a new awareness and information campaign on Friday against drugs which kill one person every hour in the 27-nation bloc.

    The new "European Action on Drugs" (EAD) initiative, launched on the occasion of the International Drugs Day, aims to build on the principle of "shared responsibility," and encourage everyone to sign a pledge and undertake a commitment that addresses the drugs problem in some way.

    Twenty-one organizations and people have signed up today to undertake the commitment.

    Faced with serious drug problem, the EU hopes the new initiative could mobilize society and raise awareness about drugs.

    "Urging European organizations and citizens to play an active role, is one of the priorities stated by the new 'EU Drugs Action Plan', of which the EAD is one of the key actions," said European Commission Vice President Jacques Barrot, responsible for justice, freedom and security.

    "With the EAD, we are reaching out to Europeans in their everyday lives, by providing them with the means of expressing their views and committing to action," he added.

    According to the commission, there around 12 million people in the EU take, or have at some time taken cocaine. On average one EU citizen dies every hour of an overdose and there are 7,000 to 8,000 drug-induced deaths in Europe every year.