Drugnet Europe: summer edition 2024

 

Summer edition 2024 WELCOME TO THE EUDA!  Born on 2 July! European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) We are delighted to announce the birth of the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) on 2 July! The EUDA replaces the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), which had been operating in Lisbon since 1995. This development is the result of legislation entering into application that day, which revised the EMCDDA mandate and name and formally established the EUDA. With new tools and competencies, our new agency will contribute to EU preparedness on drugs, helping the EU and its Member States to anticipate and respond effectively to the impact of drug-related threats. To mark the occasion, we hosted a week of events for staff and key stakeholders.  Read more >> | Our first steps >>    Official inauguration and press conference The official inauguration of the EUDA took place on 3 July. We were honoured to welcome the following speakers on the press conference panel: European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson; Portuguese Secretary of State for Health, Ana Povo; Chair of the EUDA Management Board (Austria), Dr Franz Pietsch; EUDA Executive Director, Alexis Goosdeel. News release (inauguration) >> | Press conference recording >> | Speeches >> | Video >>   European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson 'I am proud that the EU Drugs Agency is now equipped with a new and stronger mandate, supported by increased resources. From a monitoring centre for drugs and addiction to a fully-fledged EU agency enhancing the EU’s preparedness on drugs, it has an increased capacity to draw up early threat assessments, initiating faster mitigating measures, and a greater capacity to look into the drugs market and precursors. This represents a new impulse in our commitment to address the drug situation comprehensively and to step up efforts to fight drug trafficking and organised crime'. Speech >>  | Press conference recording >>  Chair of the EUDA Management Board, Dr Franz Pietsch  'The inauguration of the European Union Drugs Agency represents an important milestone in improving how Europe tackles present and future challenges in the drugs field. I am convinced that, with its fit-for-purpose mission, the EUDA will provide significant added value to policymakers and professionals as they address the causes and consequences of drug use'. Speech >> | Press conference recording >>  EUDA Executive Director, Alexis Goosdeel ‘I am delighted to declare that the European Union Drugs Agency is open for business. As the EUDA, we have a broader mandate to anticipate future drug-related challenges and to alert in real time on new drug risks and threats. We will also help the EU and Member States strengthen their responses and we will facilitate EU-wide knowledge exchange and learning for evidence-based drug policies and interventions. We are at a pivotal moment in the history of EU action in the field of illicit drugs and are on a clear course towards boosting EU preparedness in this complex field. I would like to thank the Commissioner, the EU institutions and the Member States for their support. I would also like to express my gratitude to my staff for their commitment, dedication and extraordinary efforts to create the new agency'. News release >> | Press conference recording >>  Portuguese Secretary of State for Health, Ana Povo 'Today marks a momentous occasion for the European Union. We gather not just to celebrate the launch of a new agency, but a renewed commitment to tackling the complex issues of drugs across our continent. For over three decades, Portugal and Lisbon have been proud to house the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, a vital resource for evidence-based drug policy. This dedication continues today as we usher in the European Union Drugs Agency. The EUDA builds upon the incredible foundation laid by the Monitoring Centre. It signifies a deeper commitment, not only to monitoring drug trends, but to actively shaping a more effective response and developing innovative solutions. The EU Drugs Agency has the potential to be transformative and it can foster a coordinated European response to new and emerging threats. Portugal stands ready to be a strong partner in this endeavour'.  Speech >> | Press conference recording >>  EUDA Management Board meeting From 4–5 July, we hosted the constituent EUDA Management Board meeting, chaired by Dr Franz Pietsch (Austria). This event brought together for the first time the formally nominated Board members to take key institutional decisions linked to the new EUDA regulation. The Management Board appointed Burkhard Blienert (Germany) and Elina Kotovirta (Finland) to the EUDA Executive Board and elected three members to the EUDA Budget Committee: Sanja Mikulić (Croatia), Cătălin-Valentin Negoi-Niƫă (Romania) and Victor Sannes (Netherlands).  On 5 July, the meeting was extended to include high-level representatives from candidate countries and potential candidates to the EU, as well as partners with which the EUDA collaborates. Executive Directors of other EU agencies and the Chair of the Civil Society Forum on Drugs also attended. Geostrategic discussions focused on international cooperation and emerging drug trends.  EUDA Management Board >>  Our mission Our new mission focuses on contributing to EU preparedness on drugs through four service categories:  Anticipate: We anticipate future drug-related challenges and their consequences. Alert: We alert in real-time on new drug risks and threats to health and security. Respond: We help the EU and its Member States strengthen their responses to the drug phenomenon. Learn: We facilitate EU-wide knowledge exchange and learning for evidence-based policies and interventions. New agency and a brand new look Over the last year, we have been working hard behind the scenes to create a new corporate identity for the EUDA. The big reveal came on 2 July when we unveiled our new logo! Our shift from the EMCDDA to the EUDA, means a move from being a monitoring centre with a primary role to observe, to an agency empowered to act. Our branding project was designed help prepare us for this fundamental shift. We developed a brand guide to help us position ourselves as a bold, innovative and forward-looking agency. The logo was designed for a digital environment as we journey towards digital transformation. The shapes in the logo are simplified versions of the four letters from our acronym: E-U-D-A, while the stars echo the EU flag. The bold and vibrant colours represent our new personality. Read more >> | Logo animation >>  The EUDA from above...  Take a look at the result of our photo session during the EUDA inauguration! EUDA staff and guests, including European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and the Belgian Minister for Home Affairs, Annelies Verlinden, came together to form the agency's acronym.  Video >>  INTERNATIONAL Cooperation with Ecuador enhanced through new Working Arrangement Our cooperation with Ecuador was enhanced on 3 July following the signing of a Working Arrangement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador. The agreement was signed in Lisbon by EUDA Executive Director Alexis Goosdeel and H.E Xavier Aliaga Sancho, Ambassador and Head of the Mission of Ecuador to the European Union. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson following the official inauguration of the EUDA. Read more >>  EUDA delegation makes first trip to US From 8-12 July, an EUDA delegation visited Washington DC for a series of high-level meetings with US partners. Led by EUDA Executive Director Alexis Goosdeel, the delegation aimed to present our new mandate and discuss potential areas of cooperation within our new responsibilities. This was the first EUDA visit to the US and took place just one week after the official inauguration of the agency in Lisbon. Following a meeting at the EU Delegation to the United States, the visiting EUDA staff members met with a range of entities working in the drugs field (CICAD-OAS, DEA, ONDCP, INL, SAMHSA, NIDA, JHU). Read more >>  PSYCHEDELICS Therapeutic use of psychedelic substances: new FAQs published What are psychedelic substances? Why are they currently being researched in the medical field? Are psychedelics already available for treatment in Europe? These are some of the issues addressed in a new set of EUDA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): therapeutic use of psychedelic substances released this month. The FAQs are published in response to the growing interest in the therapeutic use of psychedelic substances and the need for reliable information on the topic. The digital resource is based on the findings from an EUDA project to develop a better understanding of key developments in this field and to respond to concerns raised by policymakers and other key customers and stakeholders. Read more >> | FAQs >> LISBON ADDICTIONS  Programme outline published The programme outline for Lisbon Addictions 2024 is out! The event will be packed with cutting-edge research and high-level content, organised under the categories of in-person oral presentations, short communications and workshops as well as online e-short communications and e-posters. Working closely with co-producers, the conference team has developed a rich and innovative programme featuring eight thematic tracks. The full programme will be available in September.  Read more >>  Early Career Researchers programme For the first time, Lisbon Addictions 2024 will feature a dedicated programme for Early Career Researchers (ECRs). Organised by the EUDA and partners, the initiative aims to inspire and empower young scientists through the exchange of ideas and through access to career-enhancing information. The initiative is open to any individual currently enrolled in a research programme who is attending the conference. Read more >>  WORLD HEPATITIS DAY Practical resources to help European countries beat viral hepatitis To mark World Hepatitis Day (28 July), we released an update of our elimination barometer designed to support countries in monitoring their progress towards eliminating hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030 (UN Sustainable Development Goal on Health/SDG 3.3). Through the barometer, public health workers, policymakers and other interested users can access data to gauge their country’s performance according to a set of epidemiological indicators. Readers can download data tables and infographics and view which countries have achieved the targets set. The barometer is part of a broader online hepatitis C toolkit designed to help European countries beat viral hepatitis. The practical resources aim to support countries in promoting HCV testing and care PWID through drug services.  Read more >> | Toolkit >> | Elimination barometer >> 28 July: World Hepatitis Day Every year, on 28 July, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners commemorate World Hepatitis Day to increase awareness and understanding of viral hepatitis and the diseases it causes. Eliminating hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030 is a target set under the UN Sustainable Development Goal on Health (SDG 3.3). The WHO focused this year on the theme: 'It’s time for action'. With a person dying every 30 seconds from a hepatitis-related illness, there is a need to accelerate action on better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to save lives and improve health outcomes. Read more >>

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