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European Monitoring Centre forDrugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)Established: 1993Director: Wolfgang GötzStaff: 92Address:Rua da Cruz de Santa Apolónia, 23–25PT-1149-045 LisbonPortugal(See website for new postal addressin 2008)Tel. (351) 218 11 30 00Fax (351) 218 13 17 11E-mail: info@emcdda.europa.euWebsite: www.emcdda.europa.euJust over a decade ago, Europe’scapacity for monitoring its drug problemwas extremely limited. Nationalapproaches to the topic varied greatlyand there was a lack of reliable andcomparable information at Europeanlevel concerning drugs, drug addictionand their consequences. In otherwords, it was impossible to talk withconfidence about patterns and trendsin drug use across the EU. The EuropeanMonitoring Centre for Drugs and DrugAddiction (EMCDDA) was set up in1993 to change that.The EMCDDA exists to providethe EU and its Member States with afactual overview of European drugproblems and a common informationframework to support the drugsdebate. Today it offers policymakersthe scientific evidence base theyneed for drawing up drug laws andstrategies and helps professionals andresearchers pinpoint best practiceand new areas for analysis.Improving the comparability ofdrug information in the EU is centralto the agency’s work. The EMCDDAtherefore relies on a network of some30 national monitoring centres(Reitox network) to gather andanalyse country data according tocommon data-collection standardsand tools. The results of this nationalmonitoring process are fed to theEMCDDA and are ultimately analysedin its Annual report on the state of thedrugs problem in Europe.As well as monitoring today’s drugsituation, the EMCDDA is ever vigilantfor new drugs and emerging trends.With the production of cocaine andheroin at historically high levels andwith over 7 000 Europeans dyingevery year of drug overdoses,constant monitoring is imperative.EMCDDA, your reference point on drugs in Europe23