Acting today, anticipating tomorrow

Illicit drug use and trafficking are global issues, threatening the health and security of EU citizens. Today's drug situation is complex, with potent substances being produced, trafficked and sold on an unprecedented scale. The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) plays a critical role in responding to this phenomenon. We ensure that the EU is ready and able to face the challenges posed by the drug situation, today and in the future. Our work contributes to making Europe's streets safer and to saving lives. 

From our base in Portugal, we assist the EU institutions and Member States in anticipating and responding effectively to drug-related threats. We issue health and security alerts and risk communications, share knowledge and recommend evidence-based policies and actions to address problems efficiently. Our motto is 'Acting today, anticipating tomorrow'.

Facts

• Formally established in 2024 replacing the EMCDDA  (see New European Union Drugs Agency starts work with broader mandate, News release EUDA No 1/2024)
• Current workforce: 119 (planned to reach 154 in 2027)
• Part of the network of EU decentralised specialist agencies
• Executive Director: Alexis Goosdeel (Belgium), since 2016
• Chair of the Management Board: Franz Pietsch (Austria), since 2022
• Chair of the Scientific Committee: Name Surname (since 2025)  

Mission

Our overall mission is to strengthen EU preparedness on drugs through four key interconnected service categories: anticipate, alert, respond and learn.

Anticipate

We anticipate future drug-related challenges, by identifying emerging trends and potential threats. Our comprehensive data sets allow for in-depth analysis of long-term patterns, while cutting-edge methods and tools, such as wastewater analysis, offer near real-time insights into the latest shifts. By building on the analysis of past and present trends, we are better equipped to assess future developments. Foresight is central to our work, allowing us to envision possible scenarios and equip EU institutions and Member States with the information they need to take forward-thinking decisions.

Alert

The well-established EU Early Warning System on new psychoactive substances remains a key feature of EU preparedness on drugs. In addition, our new European Drug Alert System facilitates rapid information exchange when serious drug-related health, social, safety and security risks arise. This ensures that relevant stakeholders are provided with vital, time-sensitive, actionable information to support evidence-based responses. Complementing this, our European Health and Security Threat Assessment System enhances the EU's ability to foresee and respond efficiently to emerging threats. Together, these systems play a crucial role in safeguarding public health and safety across the EU.

Respond

We help the EU and its Member States to strengthen their responses to the drug phenomenon and react swiftly to drug-related threats and alerts. Here, we provide scientific evidence for decision-making, such as on new psychoactive substances. With our tools and support, countries can develop early interventions and assess the availability and quality of their responses in line with the latest scientific standards. We assist Member States in implementing additional safeguards to reduce drug-related harms affecting EU citizens.

Learn

We facilitate EU-wide knowledge exchange and learning to support evidence-based drug policies and interventions. Central to our mission is identifying and defining best practices and promoting science-based interventions and quality standards in areas such as prevention, treatment and harm reduction. Our efforts support countries in capacity-building and in designing and evaluating national strategies, policies and interventions. Through education, training and networks ─ such as the network of forensic and toxicological laboratories ─ we enhance professional competence. Additionally, we assist the European Commission and Member States in defining research priorities and shaping EU programmes for research and innovation.

Values

EUDA staff members are committed to the EU and its overall values. More specifically, four core values guide our work:

• Scientific excellence — advancing evidence-based knowledge to underpin sound decision-making and research.
• Integrity and impartiality — working professionally, objectively, impartially, independently and transparently.
• Customer focus and service orientation — anticipating customers’ evolving needs and producing timely and tailored material to help anticipate new threats and adopt informed policies.
• Efficiency and sustainability — prioritising activities that deliver value, respect cost-effectiveness and promote corporate sustainability.

Personality

Independent: We are an independent and unique centre of reference on drugs and drug addiction in Europe.

Authoritative: We are a trusted source of evidence-based information and analysis, which we share with our customers.

Multidisciplinary: Our multicultural and multilingual team includes medical doctors, political and social scientists, statisticians, legal experts, chemists, criminologists, and specialists in communication, administration and information and communication technology.

Innovative: Using an agile approach, we develop leading-edge indicators and pioneering methods to monitor and respond quickly to emerging drug issues. Through co-creation with our partners, we provide comprehensive analyses to inform drug policy and practice.

Customer-focused: We engage with a broad range of customers from local to global level. These include European and national policymakers and practitioners working in the drugs field, academics, researchers, civil society organisations, people affected by drug problems and their families, and the general public.

European: We are committed to the core values of the European Union: human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and human rights. We believe in drug policies based on respect for fundamental rights.

International: While primarily Europe-focused, we have a strong international role. We support the EU institutions in drug policy and actively engage with countries and organisations in other world regions.

EUDA network of national focal points

National focal points (NFPs) in the EU Member States, Türkiye and Norway are our primary data providers. Together they form the European Information Network on Drugs and Drug Addiction (Reitox network). This network ensures a comprehensive and harmonised approach to reporting on drugs in Europe. An integral part of the agency's management structure, the NFPs are empowered within their countries as EUDA ambassadors, forming the interface with customers at national level.

International cooperation

With our strong international mandate, we monitor global drug trends that may pose a threat to Europe. We cooperate with third countries, particularly candidate and potential candidates to the EU, accompanying them in the setting-up of national drug observatories and co-creating in the areas of data collection, threat assessment and early-warning systems. We support the EU and its Member States with data and analysis at multilateral drug policy fora and cooperate with international organisations in developing evidence-based global drug policy. 

Customers

Over the years, the agency has evolved from largely an information provider into a more proactive service-oriented agency. The EUDA has the following primary customers:

• EU institutions
• National decision-/policymakers
• Professionals working in the drugs field
• Scientists and researchers
• Civil society organisations, including organisations of people who use drugs and of communities affected by the consumption and sale of drugs or drug-related crime.

Governance

The Management Board is the agency’s main decision-making body. It has one representative from each EU country, Norway and Türkiye, two from the European Commission and two independent experts chosen by the European Parliament. It is supported by an Executive Board and a Budget Committee. The EUDA Executive Director is the agency’s legal representative and accountable to the Management Board.

The agency concentrates its work where it may provide maximum added value. It complies with EU good governance rules and codes of conduct, ranging from good administrative behaviour and transparency to data protection and avoidance of conflicts of interest. Regular external evaluations provide an independent check on the agency’s performance.

Budget

The EUDA relies on funding provided through the general budget of the European Union (budget line B3-441). For 2024, the EU contribution is EUR 32 131 775. With the contributions of Türkiye and Norway, the budget totals EUR 33 653 109. Additional funds are received for technical assistance projects. 

Innovation

Innovation is essential if the EUDA is to keep pace with revolutionary changes in the extent and nature of the drugs problem and in the world in which we live. It therefore seeks creative, interdisciplinary and collaborative solutions for the contemporary challenges faced. It has expanded its monitoring capability by complementing routine data collection with information from an expanding range of leading-edge sources, providing more timely and rounded analyses. In an era when digital transformation becomes vital for organisations to deliver value to stakeholders, the agency is pursuing the use of new technologies for business optimisation and communication.