Demand reduction: European standards

At European and national level, quality standards for drug demand reduction are increasingly recognised as a tool for the implementation of evidence-based interventions. In 2015, the EU Council of Ministers adopted 16 minimum quality standards in drug demand reduction in the European Union, and countries have been encouraged to integrate them into their drug policies. The European quality standards are a set of aspirational statements for prevention, treatment, harm reduction and social reintegration. These standards link intervention quality to concrete measures, including appropriate staff training and provision of evidence-based interventions, and to principles such as respect for individual needs and adherence to ethics. They also highlight the need for the participation of all the stakeholders, including civil society, in the implementation and evaluation of interventions.

EMCDDA data collection reveals that quality standards currently exist in most European countries and others are in the process of developing them. Quality standards are being put into use in different ways. In some countries, standards are linked to service delivery and are used to evaluate the provision. They are also being used as a requirement for participation in competitions for service contracts and as instruments for service-level self-assessment.