New legislation published today gives Europe more powers to tackle current and future drug problems. The new Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council, revises the mandate of the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), in order to keep pace with an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving drug phenomenon.
The regulation, published today in the Official Journal of the European Union, will enter into force tomorrow, setting out a one-year transition course for the EMCDDA to prepare to implement the new mandate. The EMCDDA will become the European Union Agency for Drugs (EUDA) on 1 July 2024, the day on which the regulation enters into force.
The EMCDDA was established in 1993 to monitor the drug phenomenon and to harmonize and standardize data. However, in recent years, there has been a growing disconnect between the complexity and developments of today’s drug phenomenon and the current mandate arrangement. With a more proactive mandate, adapted to the current reality, the new EUDA will be better equipped to support the EU and its Member States in addressing emerging issues in this field. This will happen in three key areas: monitoring, preparation and capacity building for better interventions.
The new legislation has its roots in a proposal by the European Commission dated 12 January 2022, which called for a stronger mandate for the agency, empowering it to carry out the tasks necessary to address current and future challenges related to illicit drugs. The European Parliament and the Council of the EU adopted the act this month, according to the EU’s ordinary legislative procedure.