The purpose of the Council of Europe agreement is to build on the provisions of the United Nations convention and deal with the issue of shared jurisdiction by making provision for the concept of preferential jurisdiction. This, in effect, gives a flag state the right to seek to exercise jurisdiction concerning any drug trafficking offence committed on board its vessel on the high seas in priority to the jurisdiction of another convention state. The agreement makes provision for the procedures to be followed by Council of Europe member states in applying this concept of preferential jurisdiction between them.