The Reitox network: frequently asked questions

This page brings together some of the most frequently asked questions about the Reitox network, how it functions, who are Reitox members and how to cooperate with, or participate in the network.

Further details can be found via the websites and other links provided in the Additional information section, at the end of this page.

Reitox is the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) information network on drugs and drug addiction, created at the same time as the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, which became the EUDA in July 2, 2024, with an extended remit and stronger role.

The Reitox network became part of the the EUDA’s administrative and management structure. The abbreviation ‘Reitox’ stands for the French ‘Réseau Européen d´Information sur les Drogues et les Toxicomanies’. The working language of the network is English.

Who are the members of the Reitox network?

Members of the Reitox network are designated national institutions or agencies responsible for data collection and reporting on drugs and drug addiction in their countries. These institutions are called ‘National Focal Points’ (NFPs). The Regulation governing the EUDA requires that each EU Member State (MS) or other country participating in the work of the Agency shall establish or designate one national focal point. This designated national focal point then becomes a member of the network, which currently includes the EU Member States plus Türkiye, Norway and the European Commission.

What is a national focal point and is there a difference with a national drugs observatory?

A National Drugs Observatory (NDO) is a generic term for an organisation that provides its country with factual, objective and comparable information concerning drugs and drug addiction and their consequences. In the context of the countries participating in the Reitox network we use the term National Focal Point (NFP), which is also used in the Regulation that defines the EUDA and its mandate, and in the EU drugs action plans to describe a set of roles and functions vis-à-vis the EU and the EUDA.  

Furthermore, the regulation states that the EUDA shall assess whether each NFP contributes to the tasks of the Agency by carrying out the requested activities.  Such assessments shall not concern other functions of the body hosting the national focal point or the overall structure in which the national focal point is embedded.

What is the Reitox network’s main objective?

The main objective of the Reitox network is described in the EUDA Regulation, which states that it shall “contribute to the Agency’s task of collecting and reporting consistent and standardised information on the drugs phenomenon across the Union”.

The members of the Reitox network link national drug information systems and are the main way in which the EUDA exchanges data and methodological information on drugs and drug addiction in Europe. As an information interface between the EUDA and national level stakeholders, the Reitox network:

• Provides the Agency and national stakeholders with the best, most reliable, comparable, recent and comprehensive information on the drug situation in their respective countries;
• Meets the specific information needs of decision-makers and practitioners working in the drugs field at European and national levels;
• Enhances the key role of evidence in European and national drug policies and responses, to further develop relevant methodologies and to represent the Agency at national level;
• Exchanges knowledge and expertise among Member States.

What are the Reitox network’s main strategic objectives?

The Reitox network and its NFPs are the backbone that enable EUDA’s work, as they are the Agency’s main partners, maintain an ongoing dialogue with the national data providers and experts, and act as the central conduit for information required by the EUDA. To better clarify and fulfil this role, the network adopted in 2017 a strategic document, entitled ‘Reitox Development Framework’, which set out four strategic objectives to direct its activities:

1. Maintain the Reitox monitoring system fit for purpose;
2. Strengthen the role of the NFPs in supporting decision-making and action at national level;
3. Improve the overall quality of the processes and deliverables of the NFPs;
4. Improve the coordination of, and cooperation within, the Reitox network.

This document is being revised in 2024 and 2025 to reflect the new framework of cooperation, in agreement with the new mandate of the EUDA, and the revised document will be called the “Reitox Alliance”.

What is the Reitox Alliance?

The Reitox Alliance is the new operating framework for cooperation between the national focal points and the EUDA.  The Reitox alliance is based on the EU Regulation 2023/1322, which defines the tasks and responsibilities to be fulfilled by the NFPs and the EUDA.

The Reitox Alliance is under development by the Reitox network, and will be adopted by the EUDA Management Board in December 2025.

What are the functions of Reitox national focal points at European level?

The national focal points are key players in the Union’s drug monitoring and reporting system.

On an annual basis, each NFP collects and produces comparable and scientifically sound data and information on their national drug situation, which will feed into monitoring the situation across Europe. The NFPs also help improve data collection methodologies and tools, and develop relevant guidelines for their implementation.

In addition, the NFPs participate in the EU Early Warning System and report to the EUDA on new trends in the use of existing psychoactive substances and/or new consumption patterns involving combinations of psychoactive substances which pose a potential public health risk. Additionally, they identify new potential threats in the drugs field, alert the EUDA on newly identified substances, and are engaged in research projects in multiple drug related fields, including foresight, wastewater analysis or drug related emergency room admissions, among others.

In most cases the role of NFPs goes beyond their reporting obligations to the EUDA and they also produce information to fulfil their country’s reporting obligations to other supranational and international monitoring and drug-control programmes such as UNODC.

The EUDA also requests the technical support of NFPs in the production of its different products and publications in national languages. Finally, NFPs can also play a role in supporting the EUDA efforts to provide technical assistance to third countries, namely by sharing national and EU knowledge and methodologies in the framework of international cooperation projects managed by the Agency.

What are the functions of Reitox national focal points at national level?

In addition to the multiple tasks assigned to NFPs in relation to the Agency, many of which linked to the coordination of data collection, or the direct collection of data related to drugs and drug use, they have additional responsibilities at the national level, which vary according to the NFP itself. These may include preparing legal documents, national situation reports on drugs or drug use, conducting studies on drug related topics, and monitoring drug responses such as treatment, prevention or harm reduction at the country level. 

Typically, NFPs also establish and coordinate a national network of stakeholders from all relevant areas of the drug phenomenon, including prevention, treatment, security, justice and health, among others. These networks report relevant data to the NFP on the multiple facets of the drug situation and responses, and in many cases it is this network that coordinates national responses to any threats or emergencies that arise.

Lastly, NFPs are also asked to disseminate knowledge and best practices produced at the European level, and relevant for national needs, to the extended community of professionals involved with drugs and drug addiction, as well as support dissemination of EUDA products and publications at the national level.

How is Reitox network managed?

Daily management of the network is entrusted to the EUDA’s Reitox and external partners unit. Twice a year, the EUDA organises meetings for the Heads of National Focal Points to discuss and endorse data collection tools, reporting requirements for the upcoming reporting cycle and to further develop and consolidate the network and its members. The EUDA also maintains a Reitox platform where it shares most up-to-date information on the EUDA’s activities, reporting requirements and also training opportunities for Reitox members.

The network has a Spokesperson and deputy(ies) elected by the Heads of the NFPs. The Spokesperson has observer status on the EUDA’s Management Board, its main governing body, as well as on the EUDA’s Scientific Committee, its main advisory body. This ensures that the network members are aware of the agency’s main strategic and scientific developments and that the Reitox network can contribute to its decision-making process. Finally, the Reitox and external partners unit and the Spokesperson’s team meet online regularly (monthly) to coordinate activities and exchange information relevant for the Agency and the network alike.

How should a national focal point be structured?

There is no single model for how to organise and where to place a NFP. However, national authorities must ensure that their NFP can collect and analyse data on the basis of guidelines adopted by the EUDA, covering information from a variety of sources, mainly in the health, justice and law enforcement areas.

The structure of a NFP largely depends on how decision-making is organised in a particular country. The NFP can be placed within a national drugs coordination body or under a government department, or located in one of the ministries. In many cases, the decision is taken to place the NFP in the Ministry of Health, National Institute for public health or the Ministry of the Interior, Home Affairs or National Security or their subordinate institutions, since drug-related data collection is a part of their regular activities. A university or a non-governmental organisation can also act as NFP.

When discussing where to place the NFP, the main aspect to consider is how it will effectively fulfil its role and functions. The NFP has to be set up through appropriate national legal or administrative measures on a permanent basis and with a clear mandate. Moreover, it needs to be scientifically independent and ensure the quality of its data.   

What types of information should Reitox members provide to the EUDA and when?

New needs for information will be further defined along with the new tasks of the NFPs within the new mandate of the agency, however, NFPs will continue to have a horizontal role, collecting and analysing, at national level, all relevant information on drugs, drug addiction and other areas as well as on policies and solutions applied, bringing together health, justice, law enforcement in cooperation with experts and national organisations active in the field of drugs. NFPs also contribute to the EUDA’s key role in the detection, risk-assessment and control of new psychoactive substances in the EU. The monitoring system implies the collection of both quantitative data and qualitative information using different types of standardised data collection and reporting tools, either on an annual or ad hoc basis:

• Standard tables for quantitative data collection, reported to the EUDA;
• Workbooks which provide contextual information and complement the quantitative data reported through the other templates;
• Information on new psychoactive substances related to the detection and identification, use and patterns of use, manufacture, extraction, distribution and distribution methods, trafficking, and commercial, medical and scientific use of, and potential and identified risks posed by those substances.

How many staff members should work in a national focal point and what qualifications do they need?

The number of staff and their qualifications are closely linked to a national focal point’s role and functions. Given the range of tasks of a NFP, it must have at least a manager or coordinator (usually referred to as the Head). It is desirable that the professional competence of such a person allows him/her to effectively discuss issues linked to drug-related data collection at national and European level.

Practice shows that the Head of the focal point should have strong general management, communication and networking skills. Ideally, the competences of additional staff will mirror the wide range of subject areas covered by the mandate of the NFP. Therefore, the scientific competence of personnel should ideally cover fields such as: epidemiology, social sciences (sociology, psychology), toxicology, statistics, criminology and drug policy.

Countries with very limited resources might start with a one-person national focal point: if this is the case, some core functions in data collection, analysis and reporting should be delegated to external partners (e.g. a university). Last but not least, all staff members should ideally be fluent in English, as this is the working language of the Reitox network.

How are Reitox national focal points funded?

The appointment, setting up, functioning and maintenance of a national focal point is the responsibility of the national authorities. However, the EUDA co-funds NFPs in EU Member States by means of a grant agreement which supports the implementation of the tasks that NFPs are mandated to fulfil in the EU Regulation that defined the EUDA mandate and NFP obligations to the Agency.

The EUDA grant agreements are fully in line with the rules and procedures used by the European institutions, and the NFPs are called upon to ensure adequate synergy with existing EC programmes to avoid overlap.

What is a ‘Reitox Academy’?

A Reitox Academy is a training programme which addresses the training and information needs of the Reitox community, but also transfers knowledge and EUDA practices to candidate and potential candidate countries, the European Neighbourhood Policy countries (ENP) and other priority third countries.

A Reitox Academy includes a wide array of courses and seminars on key EUDA technical tools and techniques. It aims to utilise the best expertise available in both the Agency and Member States. It also addresses training needs related to setting up and developing national focal points and their expert networks. Academies can be organised for a network of national or regional experts, for all Reitox members or for EU candidate, potential candidate and ENP countries.

Who can benefit from Reitox national focal points’ expertise at national level and how?

Providing data on the drug situation at national level and also analysing how this is viewed in relation to the broader European and international contexts is one of the functions of NFPs. This means providing products for a range of audiences as follows:

• Decision‑makers, who require concise and objective information in order to make the relevant policy and budgetary decisions. This audience may also require information on current trends in drug policies across Europe to feed into national debate.
• Professionals and scientists working in the drugs field can use the NFP as their information source on ongoing research and monitoring activities across the network and also as a link for cross-border cooperation, hence enhancing data collection practices across Europe.
• As an audience, the general public needs broad information in order to gain insight into changes in the drug situation and responses at national and European level.
• For the media, focal points act as the main reference point on the drug situation, not only in the country concerned, but also in Europe. The information provided to the media thus facilitates clear and factual reporting on the drugs situation.

What is the added value in cooperating with the Reitox network for countries who are not members?

Being involved in Reitox brings first-hand experience of how drug monitoring systems operate in the EU Member States or countries which have concluded an agreement with the EU for the purpose of the participation in the work of the EUDA, and broadens the view of Reitox members on the drug situation outside the EU. Whereas Reitox members participate in the European debate on drug data monitoring and reporting tools and processes, non-EU countries may be invited to take part in selected activities and technical expert meetings on a wide range of topics related to the EUDA’s areas of work.

By collaborating with the Reitox network, candidate and potential candidate countries are already fulfilling one of the requirements of the accession process. This is seen as a positive step in the process of aligning their respective national drug monitoring and reporting systems with the EU data collection processes.

Through cooperation projects or in the framework of working arrangements, bilateral agreements or dialogues, third countries can participate in specific Reitox network activities and access trainings, expert meetings, and even assessment processes, depending on needs, capacity and the activities themselves.

A new International Cooperation Framework is being prepared which will better define ways for countries to interact and cooperate with the EUDA.

Where can I find the contact details of Reitox members?

Contact information on the current National Focal Points is available.

Additional information

• Regulation (EU) 2023/1322 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2023 on the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1920/2006
• Reitox Development Framework
• EU drugs strategy 2021-2025
• On data collection tools and reporting
• Building a national drugs observatory: a joint handbook, 2010 (available in Arabic, Croatian, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish)
• European Neighbourhood Policy
• Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance
• FAQs on the EU and the drugs phenomenon (available in English, French and Russian)