2024: a year of transformation
'I am proud to share the highlights of 2024, a year marked by significant milestones and progress for our agency.
The transformation of the EMCDDA into the EUDA represents a major advancement. This transition has enhanced our ability to anticipate and respond to drug-related threats more effectively while enabling real-time alerts on emerging risks. We are at a key moment in the history of EU action on illicit drugs, and we are on a clear path toward strengthening EU preparedness in this complex area.'
Alexis Goosdeel, EUDA Executive Director
2024 marked the birth of the EU Drugs Agency (EUDA)
On 2 July 2024, the EMCDDA became the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) following the entry into force of Regulation (EU) 2023/1322 of the European Parliament and the Council. With an updated and more proactive role, we are ready to support the EU and its Member States in addressing emerging drug issues in an ever-changing world.
We marked this important milestone with an official launch ceremony in Lisbon on 3 July. The event brought together the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and other senior representatives from across Europe. The celebrations continued with a press conference with key institutional partners
Ylva Johansson, Former European Commissioner for Home Affairs
Acting today, anticipating tomorrow
With a stronger mandate and new tools and resources, this transformation allows us to support the EU and its Member States more effectively. We aim to stay ahead of emerging threats and respond to new challenges with greater speed and impact.
Our mission is built on four key pillars:
- ANTICIPATE future drug-related challenges and their consequences;
- ALERT in real time on new drug risks and threats to health and security;
- RESPOND: Assist the EU and its Member States in strengthening their responses to the drug phenomenon;
- LEARN: Facilitate EU-wide knowledge exchange and learning for evidence-based policies and interventions.
Supporting decisions with evidence
As the EUDA, we provide trusted evidence to our partners who face drug-related challenges across Europe. Published in June, our European Drug Report provides a clear overview of the latest drug trends and developments in 29 countries — all accessible through interactive, multilingual resources.
To equip our customers with the latest insights, the 2024 Statistical Bulletin presents over 500 tables and graphs, featuring national and city-level data on drug trends, health risks, and interventions.
We are a reliable source of drug-related evidence, supporting more effective, data-driven responses across Europe. This forms the foundation of everything we do, reflected in our technical reports, topic overviews, data fact sheets, and many more publications. In 2024, we published 33 institutional and scientific publications and authored or co-authored 16 articles in reputable journals.
Empowering professionals, supporting practice
Supporting over 1,700 health, law enforcement and policy professionals, our capacity-building efforts included Reitox Academies for national focal points and training sessions with our partner, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL).
We helped build stronger, more effective prevention systems by equipping professionals from different Member States with the necessary skills to act on evidence. In 2024, more than 100 experts were trained in using our European Prevention Curriculum (EUPC), enhancing national capacity to design and deliver more effective prevention responses
‘Meeting and sharing moments with people from different countries who follow the path towards evidence-based prevention was a fun and enriching experience.’
Raquel Martín Pérez, National EUPC Trainer, Spain, Training of Trainers for the EUPC, September 2024 in Lisbon
With our partner, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL), we continued to organise and deliver training activities for law enforcement professionals, with around 1,500 officers from EU and non-EU countries attending.
Nearly 90 students from 27 countries joined our European Drugs Summer and Winter Schools, gaining hands-on training in gender-sensitive and stimulant-related health responses.
We continued to assess and promote best practices in drug-related interventions across Europe and beyond. We share this knowledge through our Best practice portal, offering detailed information, up-to-date references and actionable guidance to support informed decision-making. Throughout the year, we also engaged with 1,400 experts through our webinars.
Reducing harm, protecting people
We support countries in reducing drug-related harm by integrating evidence-based responses into health and social care systems. Within the framework of the ‘Health and social responses to drug problems: a European guide’, we have published a new mini-guide on Drug Consumption Rooms (DCRs). It provides an overview of key issues related to these facilities, including service delivery, guidance and existing evidence and latest developments in Europe. It also considers implications for policy and practice. In May, we organised a webinar to inform discussions on drug consumption rooms (DCRs) by reviewing current models and their characteristics, which was attended by over 400 experts worldwide.
We enhanced national efforts to tackle drug-related infectious diseases by updating our Viral Hepatitis Elimination Barometer. This tool helps countries monitor their progress toward the 2030 goal of eliminating viral hepatitis. At the World Hepatitis Summit in Lisbon, our Executive Director, Alexis Goosdeel, highlighted our contribution to global efforts:
Alexis Goosdeel, EUDA Executive Director
To mark International Overdose Awareness Day (31 August), we updated our FAQs on drug-related deaths.
Leading innovation in data collection and analysis
As a forward-thinking agency, we drive innovation to help our partners and customers stay ahead of emerging drug trends. For example, in 2024:
- The European Web Survey on Drugs (conducted between May and June in 35 countries) collected new data on cannabis use patterns, polysubstance use, and emerging trends.
- We provided fresh insights into drug-use trends and patterns with the release of the latest multi-city wastewater analysis, using data from 88 cities (EU 23 + Türkiye).
- The European Syringe Collection and Analysis Project (ESCAPE) revealed a diverse range of injected substances, mirroring the complexity of Europe’s drug landscape.
- The European Drug Emergencies Network (Euro-DEN Plus), with insight from 39 sentinel centres, continued to support evidence-based responses, helping policymakers, healthcare professionals, and researchers address emerging drug threats more effectively.
- Updated drug checking data from the Trans European Drug Information (TEDI) project provided real-time insight into the composition of drugs in circulation, supporting frontline harm reduction efforts.
- Together with the European Network of Drug Consumption Rooms (ENDCR), we organised harmonised data collection from frontline harm reduction services that engage with hard-to-reach populations of people who use drugs.
Staying ahead of drug threats
Our Early Warning System is key in protecting public health. In 2024, 47 new psychoactive substances were detected, bringing the total number monitored to 1,000. We issued alerts and contributed expert advice to international efforts on synthetic opioids, including input to the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats.
While addressing the European Parliament, our Executive Director issued a clear Call to action:
‘We need to be vigilant and prepared because of the potentially significant threats we face. Our new EUDA service model underpins this Call for Action, whereby we are committed to Anticipate, Alert, Respond and Learn. Nowhere is this more important than in the field of new synthetic opioids’.
We are building EU-wide alert systems, supporting national preparedness, and collaborating with partners to enhance resilience. For this purpose, in 2024 we launched new resources to boost EU preparedness and speed up responses to emerging drug threats:
- EDAS – the European Drug Alert System: improves real-time notifications to national authorities and practitioners.
- ETAS – the European Threat Assessment System: enables rapid, coordinated threat assessments. In 2024, a health and security threat assessment on new synthetic opioids (NSOs) in the Baltic States was initiated as a pilot project to test and refine internal processes and methods.
- The European Network of Forensic and Toxicological Laboratories: links 63 labs across the EU, Norway and Türkiye to enhance detection and scientific capacity.
Foresight: planning for tomorrow's drug challenges
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 make forward-thinking decisions. Our report on the future of drug monitoring in Europe until 2030 reflects on how to improve our activities in the context of ongoing rapid changes in the information environment and the new information needs likely to emerge over the next decade. In 2024, we developed our first three scenarios on drug addiction in 2040, which will be published in 2025.
These scenarios were shared at a workshop held during the Lisbon Addictions conference in October. Such initiatives enable us to align strategic planning across institutions and anticipate future disruptions, allowing Europe to prepare rather than react.
Informing drug policy
In 2024, we shaped drug policy through our technical input to the European Parliament, the Council –during the Belgian and the Hungarian Presidencies – and the European Commission. Our analyses informed key policy discussions and institutional meetings, such as the Horizontal Drugs Group (HDG) and the Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security (COSI).
At the 67th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna, we supported the European Commission and EU Member States, contributing to discussions on the role played by civil society in drug monitoring.
We provided EU and national policymakers with updated policy tools and supported Ireland, Finland, and non-EU partner Moldova in evaluating their drug policies.
The evolving cannabis policy landscape remained one of our focus areas in 2024. We ran our Regulatory Cannabis news feed and contributed to the 3rd Ministerial Platform on Responsible Cannabis Regulation, where Germany, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Czechia, and Switzerland explored new approaches to cannabis regulation
In September, an EUDA delegation took part in an official visit to Canada, hosted by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction (CCSA). The visit started with a meeting with the Standing Committee on Health of the House of Commons of Canada. It concluded with discussions with the Senate Health Caucus on future EUDA-CCSA collaboration. The agenda included discussions on cannabis initiatives, impaired driving, and the organisation of harm reduction services.
Strategic cooperation to combat drug markets and violence
One of the highlights in this area was the release with Europol of EU Drug Markets Report modules on heroin, new psychoactive substances (NPS), and criminal facilitators. This was further validated by key policy insights, which we launched at an online press event on 7 March, featuring speeches by European Commissioner Ylva Johansson, Europol Executive Director Catherine de Bolle and EUDA Executive Director Alexis Goosdeel.
Under the slogan ‘Break The Cycle. Build The Future’, we co-organised the First Conference on Drug-Related Violence in Brussels with the European Commission. The event gathered around 200 policymakers, law enforcement officials, researchers, and civil society organisations to discuss solutions for addressing the growing issue of drug-related violence in Europe. A powerful video was unveiled at the conference, highlighting the human toll this violence takes on individuals and communities. The event concluded with a Call to action delivered by Executive Director, Alexis Goosdeel.
Floriana Sipala, DG Home, Director for Internal Security, Commission Counter-Terrorism Coordinator
Leading the way in scientific excellence
In 2024, the EUDA Scientific Committee guided our strategic direction, providing expert input to key projects, publications and the 2025–2027 programming cycle. A new Committee was appointed in July under the EUDA Regulation, and its first meeting took place in early 2025.
We co-organised Lisbon Addictions 2024, the fifth and most diverse edition of the European Conference on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies. Under the overarching theme of ‘Empowering the workforce of the future’, the event brought together 2,100 participants from 95 countries and featured over 600 presentations across 177 sessions, including plenaries, debates, workshops and e-posters. Highlights included 27 keynote speeches, 120 EU-funded bursaries, and a new programme including mentoring and networking for 200 early-career researchers.
Selection of feedback from participants
Partnerships that make a difference
At the EUDA, we collaborate closely with many partners. One key partner is the Reitox network of national focal points (NFPs), which plays a vital role in supporting the EU’s core monitoring system. Recognising their importance, the EUDA Regulation has strengthened the role of NFPs. Reitox certification confirms that a focal point meets the minimum criteria to fulfil its role, and in 2024, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy were certified, and the certification process for Malta was initiated. These countries will join Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Greece, Ireland and Slovenia who have already been certified. We also developed new assessment tools and delivered five Reitox Academies, training over 200 participants.
We strengthened our international ties through EU technical assistance programmes, such as the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA8), the EU4Monitoring Drugs II (EU4MDII), and the Cooperation Programme between Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union on Drugs Policies (COPOLAD III).
In 2024, we also signed new working arrangements with non-EU partners, including Ecuador, Chile, Montenegro and Colombia, which an EUDA delegation visited in May.
We also increased our engagement with civil society to support future cooperation.
Communicating with impact
Our new brand identity
In 2024, we launched our new brand identity, including a striking logo. The new EUDA logo symbolises the shift from a monitoring centre to an agency empowered to act. The reveal of the new EUDA logo on 2 July opened a bold new chapter for our agency.
Designed for a digital-first world, our new brand identity reflects who we are: agile, innovative, and forward-looking. From the outset, we, the EUDA staff, engaged with this branding transformation through workshops and training, helping to embed the brand in everything we do.
Boosting digital impact and audience reach
The EUDA Communication Strategy, presented to the first Management Board meeting in July, will support the delivery of the agency’s baseline vision of being ‘your European Union Drugs Agency’.
Enhancing our digital maturity allows us to thrive as an organisation in a fast-evolving, technology-driven environment. In 2024, we continued to ensure the timely delivery of products and services to our key customers via digital channels.
Our followers grew across social media channels, with a 50.7% increase on LinkedIn and a 38.3% increase on Instagram, while media interest reached new heights, with over 650 press requests handled in 2024. Almost 3 million people visited our website during the year – a record number.
Delivering value, driving our transformation
Transforming from the EMCDDA into the EUDA marked the most significant organisational shift in the agency since 1993. To rise to this challenge, in 2024 we accelerated our business transformation to build the capabilities needed to deliver innovative, future-oriented services while providing core monitoring services to support EU drug policy.
The people behind our achievements
At the EUDA, we’re proud to be a truly European team, bringing together 119 dedicated staff members from 20 nationalities. With eight units and 14 specialised teams, we bring together a wide range of expertise — working as one to strengthen drug monitoring and deliver faster, smarter responses across Europe.
In 2024, we welcomed 28 new colleagues through recruitment campaigns: fresh talent that enriches our work and strengthens our shared values of collaboration, integrity and innovation.
A full account of all activities undertaken throughout the year will become available soon in the First EUDA Consolidated Annual Activity Report (CAAR 2024).