Drugnet Europe: monthly news round-up (September 2022)

 

Issue 157: September 2022 EMCDDA4Georgia  EMCDDA–Georgia cooperation On 6 September, Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia, Tornike Cheishvili, and EMCDDA Director, Alexis Goosdeel, signed a Working Arrangement between the EMCDDA and Georgia, confirming their collaboration in the field of drugs and drug addiction. The new agreement will allow for knowledge transfer and capacity-building in the areas of drug monitoring and reporting and for the exchange of experience on health and social responses to drug problems. Georgia is currently participating in two EU-funded projects: EMCDDA4Georgia (EMCDDA4GE) and EU4Monitoring Drugs (EU4MD). The new agreement will be translated into action via joint three-year work programmes, the first covering the period 2022–2024. The ceremony was followed by a Project advisory committee (PAC) meeting and media relations training course.  Working Arrangement >> | PAC and training course >> NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES #EWS25 update available in Spanish  This year, the EU Early Warning System (EWS) on new psychoactive substances (NPS) celebrates its 25th anniversary. On 15 September, the EMCDDA published a Spanish translation of the latest update from the EWS (released in English in June). The publication, which reflects on the achievements of the system over a quarter of a century, presents the history and development of the EWS, an update of work in 2020–21 and lessons learned to help meet future challenges. Operated by the EMCDDA, in close cooperation with Europol and partners, the EWS was the first regional early-warning mechanism set up to monitor and respond to uncontrolled new drugs.  Read more >> | Report >> | #EWS 25 >> Registration still open!  Have you registered for the IX international conference on novel psychoactive substances in Panama City/online from 24–26 October? If not, you still have until 19 October to do so. Network with hundreds of NPS experts across the world from a broad range of fields and strengthen your knowledge on the topic! This year’s conference is jointly organised by the International Society for the Study of Emerging Drugs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the EMCDDA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, the University of Hertfordshire, the Centre for Forensic Science Research and Education, the Government of Panama, the Regional Anti-Doping Organization of Central America and the Panamanian Anti-Doping Organization. Programme >> | Registration >> | Deadline: 19.10.2022.  RESPONSES Responding to drug problems among migrants, refugees and ethnic minorities  Migration has had an increasing impact on European policymaking over the past decade, in the wake of what has been called the ‘refugee migration peak’. In addition to an influx of refugees, European countries have experienced relatively new intra-European migration flows, while health and social disparities persist among populations with longer-established migration patterns. This paper looks at available prevalence studies of illicit substance use among these groups as well as risk factors and current responses. The paper was commissioned by the EMCDDA to inform the Health and social responses to drug problems: a European guide.  Read more >> LISBON ADDICTIONS 2022 Full programme now available! The full #LxAddictions22 programme is now available online! The event will be packed with cutting-edge research and high-level content, organised in plenary sessions, structured sessions, oral presentations, workshops, short communications and guided e-poster tours. Big debates will see groups of discussants exchanging views on key questions related to 'Global Addictions', the overarching theme of the event. Working closely with co-producers, the conference team has developed eight innovative thematic tracks. Ahead of the conference, an app will be available to help you select your favourite presentations, build a personalised programme and create your professional profile. The EMCDDA is one of the conference organisers. Read more >> | Update >> Over 1 300 now registered Over 1 300 people have now registered for #LxAddictions22. Have you? The good news is that you can do so right up to the event! For those who cannot attend the whole conference, a new one-day fee is available. Don’t miss this chance to take your place at Europe's largest conference on addictions! Read more >>   Conference side events #LxAddictions22 provides a unique networking opportunity for researchers, practitioners and policy experts across countries and disciplines. In the margins of the conference, a number of side events will be on offer. Details are available on the conference website.  Read more >> | Update >> RESOURCES Miniguides in three more languages The EMCDDA responses miniguides on 'Settings and drugs' (local communities, prisons, recreational settings, schools and workplaces), as well as on opioid-related deaths, are now available in German, French and Spanish. Together, the miniguides make up the agency’s latest overview of interventions and actions designed to respond to the consequences of illicit drug use. Drawing on a fresh global review of the evidence, and insights from 29 countries (27 EU, Turkey and Norway), the miniguides support practitioners and policymakers in addressing the negative consequences of drug use. The resources are presented in a digital and modular format, designed to improve accessibility, to be easier to read across a range of devices and to facilitate regular updates and translations.  Read more >> MULTILINGUALISM Celebrating multilingualism The EMCDDA celebrated European Day of Languages (26 September) highlighting how it is extending its multilingual reach and providing its customers with more content in their own language. This includes using new technologies in the translation field, such as the automatic translation or light-post editing tools offered by the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (CdT). It is also adding to the EU's interinstitutional terminology database, IATE.  Read more >> | CdT >> | IATE >>  EU AGENCIES JHA agencies' joint paper on COVID-19  On 12 September, the EU Justice and Home Affairs agencies’ network released the second update of a joint paper on its COVID-19 response. This latest update details the individual and joint efforts by the nine agencies to deal with the impact of the pandemic. Read more >> Innovation Hub annual meeting  The EU Innovation Hub for Internal Security held its annual meeting in Brussels from 13–14 September under the theme 'Shaping responsible solutions for internal security'. The hub is a collaborative network of teams ('innovation labs') working in EU bodies to explore the application of new technologies. Discussions focused on encryption and AI (the hub’s priorities for 2022), with presentations from a range of government, research and technology bodies. The EMCDDA participated in a panel on 'Innovation in monitoring and surveillance'. Read more >>