EUDA Scientific Committee

Please note: on Tuesday 2 July 2024, the EMCDDA became the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), with an extended remit and stronger role. Some pages on our website may not yet reflect this change but will be updated shortly.

Introduction

The task of the Scientific Committee is to assist the Management Board and the Director of the EUDA by delivering an opinion on any scientific matter concerning the Centre's activity which the Management Board or the Director may submit to it. In addition, the risk assessment of new psychoactive substances is carried out by the Scientific Committee, in accordance with Article 5c of Regulation (EC) No 1920/2006 (as amended by regulation (EU) 2017/2101).

About

The EUDA Scientific Committee is set up by Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1920/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (as amended by regulation (EU) 2017/2101).

The task of the Scientific Committee is to assist the Management Board and the Director of the EUDA by delivering an opinion on any scientific matter concerning the Centre's activity which the Management Board or the Director may submit to it. In addition, the risk assessment of new psychoactive substances is carried out by the Scientific Committee, in accordance with Article 5c of Regulation (EC) No 1920/2006 (as amended by regulation (EU) 2017/2101).

The Committee consists of fifteen well-known scientists appointed by the Management Board in view of their scientific excellence and their independence, following a publication of a call for expressions of interest in the Official Journal of the European Union. The selection procedure ensures that the specialist fields of the members of the Scientific Committee cover the most relevant scientific fields linked to the problems of drug and drug addiction. The members of the Scientific Committee are appointed in a personal capacity and give their opinions completely independently of the Member States and the Community Institutions and serve for a three-year period (renewable).

The Scientific Committee is requested by the EUDA founding regulation to give a formal opinion on the EUDA programming documents on the basis of a draft submitted by the Centre's Director before it is presented to the Management Board. The Scientific Committee reviews many of the EUDA publications with regard to their scientific quality, plays an important role in the risk assessment of new psychoactive substances and supports the different working areas of the EUDA. Since its constitution, the Scientific Committee has established itself as an important pillar of the EUDA’s institutional life, ensuring the scientific legitimacy of the Agency and providing for continuous improvement of the main outputs.

Minutes from recent Scientific Committee meetings and other reference documents are available under Documents.

Rules of procedure of the EMCDDA Scientific Committee.

Documents

Members