On Thursday 9 June the Council of the EU adopted its general approach on the new mandate of the European Drugs Agency, which aims to transform the current European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction into a fully-fledged agency and to strengthen its role, says a statement.
The new Regulation will enable the Agency to respond more effectively to the new health and safety challenges posed by illicit drugs, to better support Member States and to contribute to improving the situation at international level.
Data collection, analysis and dissemination will remain the main task of the agency, but it will also be able to develop general health and safety threat assessment capabilities and conduct regular forecasting exercises. It will be able to specifically cover polydrug use, i.e. the use of drugs together with other licit or illicit substances, and to strengthen its cooperation with the national focal points.
The new mandate also includes the establishment of a network of laboratories, which will allow the agency to access forensic and toxicological information. The Agency will also be able to work more with third countries and international bodies.
The European Parliament has yet to adopt its position. Link to the text of the mandate: https://aeur.eu/f/20e (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)