The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) formally transitioned to the European Union Drug Agency (EUDA) on July 2, 2024. This transformation marks a crucial advancement in bolstering the EU’s capacity to tackle health and security challenges posed by the illicit psychoactive substances market. To this end, new mechanisms have been established to enhance the EU’s ability to effectively respond to contemporary challenges within the drug market. These include issuing alerts through the Early Warning System for emerging psychoactive substances and implementing the European Threat Assessment System to enable prompt EU action on potential health and security threats. The Agency will also support EUDA’s network of national focal points and the European network of toxicological and forensic laboratories, facilitating the exchange of information on emerging trends and providing training for national experts.

Following the inaugural session on July 2, the Management Board of the European Union Drug Agency convened from July 4 to 5, chaired by Dr. Franz Piecz. In attendance were representatives from EU Member States, Turkey, Norway, the European Commission, the European Parliament, executive directors of EU agencies, representatives of international organizations, and countries with which EUDA has established Working Arrangements on Cooperation. Representing the Republic of Serbia under this framework, Ms. Cincarevic from the Office for Combating Drugs of the Government of Serbia participated. The meeting commenced with opening remarks from Mr. Goosdeel, Director of the European Union Drug Agency, emphasizing the Agency’s expanded mandate to comprehensively address drug-related challenges and support EU Member States in exchanging experiences and knowledge on evidence-based drug policies.

In his closing statement, Mr. Goosdeel underscored, “We are at a pivotal moment in the EU’s efforts against psychoactive substance abuse, with a clear trajectory towards enhancing our readiness in this critical domain.”

Following Mr. Goosdeel’s presentation, attendees engaged in thematic discussions and utilized web presentations to familiarize themselves with the current state of drug policies across different countries.