EUDA
The European Union Drugs Agency
The European Union Drugs Agency
The ongoing health and safety problems posed by well-known illicit drugs and new psychoactive substances, require an appropriate response to the risks associated with the use of illicit drugs. Comprehensive monitoring enables interdepartmental coordination and timely action in the areas of safety, prevention, treatment, reintegration and harm reduction for the drug users and for society as a whole. In Slovenia, the area is monitored by the Slovenian Focal Point at the European Drugs Agency (EUDA), which operates within the framework of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) and is part of the European Reitox network.
Background:
The National Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia (NIJZ) houses the Slovenian Focal Point to the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), which is the hub for information and activities of national stakeholders in the field of illegal drugs and is authorized to receive data from all national authorities. EUDA is the central authority for illicit drugs in the European Union. Based in Lisbon, the agency assists the EU institutions and Member States in anticipating and responding effectively to drug-related threats. We issue health and security alerts and risk communications, share knowledge and recommend evidence-based policies and actions to address problems efficiently. EUDA’s mission is to strengthen EU preparedness on drugs through four key interconnected service categories: anticipate, alert, respond and learn.
EUDA’s Slovenian Focal Point is part of the Reitox network, which is the European Union Drugs Agency information network on drugs and drug addiction. Its task is to collect, analyse and disseminate data on drug use, monitor trends, and participate in measures and policies in this area; in the Early Warning System (EWS), it coordinates regional and international cooperation and annually reports on seizures, biological samples and samples collected through an anonymous testing service.
The purpose of the project is to provide comparable, verified epidemiological data in the field of drugs for the professional public and decision-makers in Slovenia, and to provide appropriate standardised data for the EU Drugs Agency.
Objectives
EUDA ensures that the EU is ready and able to face the challenges posed by the drug situation, today and in the future. EUDA’s work contributes to making Europe’s streets safer and to saving lives. In addition to the annual European Drug Report, which it issues and presents to the European Parliament and the public, the agency publishes a series of publications with the help of national contact points that are important for the education of experts, laypeople and the public.
The mission of the National Focal Points at EUDA is to monitor the situation in the field of drugs using common methodologies and approaches, so that data are comparable between countries. Data on illicit drugs serves to plan activities in the field of prevention and harm reduction for better-informed policies and interventions in the field of drugs, whereby the Slovenian Focal Point strives to contribute to a healthier and safer country through the data it collects and analyses.
In the EUDA project, we regularly monitor the situation in the field of risky behaviours related to the use of illicit drugs, identify key problems, raise awareness, inform and educate various publics, and propose necessary measures and advocate for them professionally. We therefore ensure comprehensive monitoring of the public health problem of illicit drug use in Slovenia.
At the same time, this project is also important because it uses the EWS system to ensure monitoring of new psychoactive substances that appear in the EU.
The Slovenian Focal Point is the center of drug information in the country, and the hub of all national stakeholders in the field of illicit drugs.
Project Duration: 1st of January 2025 – 31th of December 2025.
Supporting Organisation: EUDA
Project partners: National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ)
Funding: EUDA