Europe’s primary drug monitoring body wants to hear from you. The EUDA Strategy 2030 public consultation opened on 5 June 2026, giving citizens, policymakers and researchers a direct say in how the agency sets its priorities for the coming years. The survey runs until 3 July 2026. Meanwhile, parallel evidence from the ESCAPE syringe analysis project underlines just how much is at stake.

A Transformed Agency at a Critical Juncture

Less than two years have passed since a significant structural change took hold. On 2 July 2024, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction became the European Union Drugs Agency. The shift followed a new founding regulation that considerably expanded the agency’s mandate. As a result, preparedness, early warning, threat assessment and direct support to EU institutions and member states all came within its broadened remit.

The EUDA Strategy 2030 reflects that transformation. It aims to position the agency as forward-looking and resilient. Europe’s drug landscape keeps shifting, and the geopolitical environment adds further pressure. Getting the strategy right therefore matters beyond the walls of Lisbon.

What the Consultation Covers

The survey invites views on the agency’s future role, the value of existing activities, future priorities, and areas where it can do better. Results feed directly into the strategy draft. In addition, results complement input from other engagement activities running in parallel.

Those who engage with the EUDA Strategy 2030 consultation gain a concrete opportunity to influence how the agency focuses its work over the next several years. Participation is open to all. Prevention advocates, health professionals, criminal justice practitioners and community organisations all bring perspectives worth hearing. In particular, those working at a community level have insights that broader data can miss. While this survey is one channel, it carries real weight in the drafting process.

Injection Drug Data Underlines the Stakes

The consultation launch coincided with new findings from the ESCAPE project. Consequently, the timing reinforces why a well-targeted EUDA Strategy 2030 matters in practice. ESCAPE chemically analyses the contents of used syringes, offering a ground-level picture of what people who inject drugs across Europe are actually using.

An estimated 500,000 people in the EU inject drugs. They carry elevated risks of overdose and infectious disease. In the 2024 data round, researchers collected and analysed over 4,000 used syringes across 23 cities in 16 countries. In total, they identified 99 distinct psychoactive substances, a number that reflects the breadth and complexity of current drug markets.

Stimulants dominated the picture. Cocaine, amphetamines and synthetic cathinones each appeared frequently. Furthermore, highly potent synthetic opioids, including fentanyl derivatives and nitazenes, continued to show up in certain settings. Heroin remained common in a number of cities. In addition, opioid agonist medications and other pharmaceuticals appeared across multiple locations.

Half of all syringes contained residues from two or more drug categories, pointing to widespread polysubstance use or shared injecting equipment. The most common pairing was a stimulant combined with an opioid, a combination that raises the risk of overdose significantly. Moreover, these patterns are not static. They evolve as drug markets adapt, underscoring why ongoing monitoring is essential.

Local Patterns, EUDA Strategy 2030 and Open Data

Drug use does not follow a single European pattern. The ESCAPE data makes clear that city-level variation is substantial. However, while the findings do not represent national situations, they nonetheless provide targeted intelligence for understanding local markets and the populations most at risk.

The updated ESCAPE data explorer now covers 2017 to 2024. Users can filter results by year, location and drug category through an interactive map-based interface. Each participating city also has its own factsheet, summarising local findings and key patterns. As a result, frontline workers and local commissioners can access evidence directly relevant to their area. Additionally, source datasets are available to download, in line with the EUDA’s open data commitments.

Why Participation Matters

The EUDA Strategy 2030 will shape how Europe monitors and responds to drug-related threats across the next several years. The ESCAPE findings illustrate why that work carries real consequences. Substances change, combinations evolve, and the populations affected shift. A strategy built with broad input is therefore better placed to reflect those realities.

The consultation closes on 3 July 2026. In the meantime, a dedicated EUDA webinar on 16 June 2026 will address drug market-related violence, examining how it can be conceptualised and measured at local, national and international level. Both opportunities reflect the agency’s commitment to open, evidence-led engagement. Equally, they signal that the EUDA intends to bring a wide range of voices into its thinking as it moves towards 2030.

Source: dbrecoveryresources