Today, the EUDA launches its first Consolidated Annual Activity Report, which captures its key achievements in 2024. This was a year unlike any other, which saw the official establishment of the EUDA on 2 July 2024, succeeding the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). This marked the start of a new mission to strengthen EU preparedness on drugs. The report reflects the agency’s activities in this transformational period across three core drivers: health, security and business.
Preparing and launching the new agency, drove much of the work in the first half of the year. New products and services were developed, while a new brand image was unveiled, re-positioning the organisation from a monitoring centre to an agency empowered to act.
While this preparatory work involved a significant, organisation-wide effort, core business activities continued. Key products included three digital-first flagship publications, namely the European Drug Report 2024 and additional modules of the European Responses Guide and the EUDA-Europol EU Drug Markets: In-depth analysis.
A total of 33 scientific and institutional publications were produced in the course of the year. The agency also authored or co-authored 16 scientific articles and book chapters published in prestigious journals and publications, which enhanced its scientific reputation. New analyses were released on priority policy and practice topics and areas, including the therapeutic use of psychedelic substances, harm reduction and the impact of economic recession on the use of illicit drugs. The agency also delivered two urgent Calls to action, on new synthetic opioids and on drug-related violence (see conference below). Almost three million people visited the EUDA website in 2024 — a record number — and the upward trend in the number of social media followers and media requests continued.
Participation in drug-related events, training and capacity-building activities remained crucial for disseminating knowledge. In 2024, over 1 700 drug professionals benefitted from training organised by the EUDA, either alone or in cooperation with partners. Around 1 400 professionals also attended the eight EUDA webinars organised during the year.
At the end of 2024, the EU Early Warning System (EWS) on new psychoactive substances (NPS) reached the milestone of 1 000 NPS notified for the first time. Further steps were taken to strengthen EU preparedness on drugs, through the establishment of the European Drug Alert System (EDAS), the European Health and Security Threat Assessment System (ETAS) and the European Network of Forensic and Toxicological Laboratories. At the same time, the EUDA set up its new drug precursor monitoring and analysis capability, risk-assessing nine precursors in 2024 at the request of the European Commission.
During the year, the EUDA co-organised two major conferences on drug-related issues, which helped reach a wide range of partners, including civil society organisations. In October, Lisbon Addictions 2024, brought together over 2 100 participants from 95 countries under the theme ‘Empowering the workforce of the future’ (including 200 early-career researchers). In November, the first European Conference on Drug-Related Violence in Brussels, organised in partnership with the European Commission (DG HOME), gathered some 200 experts to examine the societal impact of the phenomenon and the need for a coordinated EU response.
In the area of international cooperation, the agency continued to work with candidates and potential candidates to the EU, and with European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) partner countries, under two projects: the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA8) and EU4Monitoring Drugs II (EU4MD II). Relations with Latin American and Caribbean countries were strengthened via the COPOLAD III project and through the signing of Working Arrangements (WA) with Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. A WA was also signed with Montenegro, while an amended WA was signed with Ukraine.
In fulfilling its tasks, the agency relies on a large number of partners, in particular the Reitox network of national focal points, which plays a critical role in sustaining the EU core monitoring system. Work advanced in 2024 on the definition of a new Reitox Alliance, a strategic document that will guide the network as the main EUDA partner in the Member States in the years to come.
The achievements in this particularly significant year in the life of the agency, would not have been possible without the vital support of the EUDA Management Board and Scientific Committee, the Reitox network, the EU institutions and other key partners. We thank them all for their continued commitment to our mission.
