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Webinar on decriminalisation

Posted on by DPNSEE

Policy Webinar under the BOOST Project

4 December 2025 | 14:30–16:00 CET

Registration link | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89055986872

Languages: English and Russian

 

Background and Rationale

Decriminalisation is defined as the removal of criminal sanctions for certain activities related to drug use and possession for personal use. Several actors in the field of drug policy have indicated that a punitive approach is counterproductive to achieving the health and welfare of humankind. There is no evidence that criminalisation of use, possession for personal use, and other related behaviours has positive impacts in terms of reducing both drug demand and supply.

Purpose and Objectives

  • Introduce the BOOST policy brief on decriminalisation to stakeholders across Europe: policymakers, community-led organisations, practitioners, funders
  • Present the evidence and recommendations on what works and where challenges remain when discussing about and adopting decriminalisation
  • Discuss why we need decriminalisation and what arguments can help and how to achieve this goal?
  • Enable dialogue among stakeholders decriminalisation: barriers, enablers, local contexts
  • Mobilise institutions, experts, communities and civil society networks to use the brief as an advocacy tool

Programme

Time Segment
14:30 – 15:37 Opening & overview – Milutin Milošević, DPNSEE Executive Director, Moderator
14:38 – 14:45 The BOOST project: General information and advocacy interventions – Igor Gordon, Program Team Lead, EHRA
14:45 – 14:55 The BOOST policy paper “Decriminalize! drug use and possession for personal use” – Marios Atzemis, DPNSEE Board member
14:55 – 14:05 Presentation of the new documents related to decriminalisation and human rights violations – Ganna Dovbakh, Executive Director and Maria Plotko, Senior Program Officer, EHRA

·      Updated Criminalisation Cost country profiles and regional comparison for CEECA

·      Regional CEECA report on CESCR rights violations of people who use drugs
15:05 – 15:15 Experts from countries implementing decriminalisation – John-Peter Kools, Trimbos institute, The Netherlands
15:15 – 15:22 Experts from countries implementing decriminalisation – Sanja Mikulić, Institute for Public Health, Croatia
15:23 – 15:30 Experts from countries implementing decriminalisation – Joana Canêdo, Portugal
15:30 – 15:38 Experts from countries implementing decriminalisation – Dr. Jana Michailidu, Czechia
15:40 – 15:55 Questions and answers
15:55 – 16:00 Closing – Ganna Dovbakh, EHRA Executive Director and EU Civil Society Forum on Drugs Chairperson

 

Struggle and Hope Beyond the Numbers

Posted on by DPNSEE

On 25 November 2025, the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA), together with Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN) and the Drug Policy Network South East Europe (DPNSEE), hosted a webinar to launch the new regional report “Beyond Numbers: Harm Reduction across South-Eastern Europe” (prepared by Irena Molnar et al) within the framework of the EU-funded BOOST project. The discussion brought together regional experts, practitioners, and community voices to examine the current state of harm reduction across 11 countries in South-Eastern Europe, with a strong focus on the Western Balkans.

Why “Beyond Numbers”

Speakers highlighted that regional data remain uneven, fragmented, and often outdated, making evidence-informed planning and advocacy difficult. The report responds to this gap by combining available quantitative sources with qualitative insights from service providers, peers, and people with lived/living experience, translating “coverage” into the realities of access, continuity, and quality on the ground.

Key findings presented from the report

In her presentation, Irena Molnar outlined a new comparative framework developed for the report, assessing each country across four domains:

  • Service provision (e.g., OAT/OST, NSP, HIV/HCV testing, overdose prevention, prison-based interventions),
  • Policy and financing (legal and funding environment, integration into health systems, community participation),
  • Epidemiology (availability and recency of key indicators), and
  • Data and monitoring (regular reporting, surveillance, transparency).

The findings reveal wide disparities in harm reduction system maturity across the region. While some countries maintain more comprehensive approaches, others face severe service gaps and closures—particularly after the withdrawal of external donor support, with shrinking coverage of needle and syringe programmes (NSP) and outreach in several settings. Across the region, services are frequently concentrated in capitals and larger cities, leaving rural areas and smaller communities with limited or no access. The report also underlines persistent challenges related to stigma and discrimination, weak institutional financing, and insufficient community involvement in policy design.

Country reflections: Slovenia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia

Country representatives echoed the report’s main messages and provided practical reflections:

  • Slovenia noted that strong scores can mask implementation gaps: certain interventions exist “on paper” but remain inconsistently available in practice (e.g., wider access to take-home naloxone; delayed implementation of drug consumption rooms).
  • Bulgaria highlighted progress driven largely by civil society innovation, municipal engagement, and crowdfunding—but warned about fragile sustainability when services depend on a very small number of organisations and lack systematic health-sector funding.
  • North Macedonia described a dramatic reduction in national NSP coverage following donor withdrawal, leaving only limited outreach capacity and uncertainty about continuity—illustrating how funding instability translates directly into increased health risks and reduced access to care.

EU and regional perspectives: future opportunities

On the panel, the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) representative recognised major disparities in harm reduction coverage across Europe, including persistent gaps in take-home naloxone availability in parts of the region. EUDA highlighted its role in strengthening evidence and systems through capacity building, training, and improved monitoring, and announced plans to start mapping harm reduction services in the Western Balkans to better understand gaps and inform future programming.

EHRA emphasised that strong language in strategies must be matched by implementation, and pointed to the EU enlargement process as a potential lever to push for sustainable harm reduction and broader health responses in candidate countries. The discussion also acknowledged the difficult broader context—shrinking civic space and shifting political priorities—while stressing the urgency of coordinated advocacy and community-led monitoring.

The webinar concluded with a shared message: harm reduction in South-Eastern Europe continues to survive largely through civil society resilience and community leadership, but sustainable progress requires political commitment, stable financing, and stronger integration of harm reduction into public health systems.

The report is published at the EHRA webpage here>>>.

The report launch event is available online
https://youtu.be/TbkH6KfqHfI

 

A strategy for stronger engagement, protection and support to civil society organisations

Posted on by DPNSEE

The European Commission adopted two important documents: the European Civil Society Strategy and the European Shield of Democracy. Together, both documents create a framework for stronger, more open and resilient European democracies and contribute to greater participation of citizens and civil society organizations in public processes.

The European Civil Society Strategy is aimed at strengthening the role, protection and long-term sustainability of civil society organizations. Key measures of the strategy include:

  • Establishment of a civil society platform for structured dialogue with the EU
  • Creation of an online Knowledge Hub on civic space
  • Measures for the protection of civil society organizations
  • Strengthening of financial support, including the AgoraEU program

The European Democracy Shield establishes a set of measures to strengthen the resilience of democratic systems in the EU. Key measures include:

  • Protection of information space
  • Strengthening free elections and independent media
  • Increasing social resilience: media and digital literacy, civic education, participatory tools, civic-tech hub, EU democracy guide
  • Establishment of the European Center for Democratic Resilience

More about the strategy is available following this link>>>.

 

Help Shape the Global AIDS Strategy 2026–2031

Posted on by Milutin

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS UNAIDS is developing the Global AIDS Strategy 2026–2031, and they are calling on communities, civil society, and other key stakeholders to help shape the direction of the global HIV response for the years ahead.

As part of this process, UNAIDS has launched a global survey to gather your insights and experiences.

📝 Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SJN6RXX

📅 Deadline: 18 April 2025

🌍 Languages available: English, French, Spanish (more coming soon)

Why this matters:

Your perspective is critical to ensure the next Global AIDS Strategy reflects the realities on the ground, strengthens community-led responses, and addresses the challenges we face – including threats to funding, human rights, and access to care.

📖 Learn more about the Global AIDS Strategy 2026–2031 here:

https://www.unaids.org/en/2026-2031-global-aids-strategy

 

Advocacy in Action

Posted on by Milutin

The Drug Policy Network South East Europe hosted the side event “Advocacy in Action: Advancing Comprehensive Health and Harm Reduction Services” at the 68th UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, held from 10 to 14 March 2025 in Vienna.

This side event was organized with the support of Czech Republic, Pompidou Group, UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health, Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network, Eurasian Harm Reduction Association, European Network Of People Who Use Drugs, Re Generation, Villa Maraini, ISGlobal, Fondazione LILA Milano, Asociación Bienestar y Desarrollo, Free Clinic, Spolecnost Podane ruce, and Knowmad Institute.

The session illustrated key advocacy strategies and actions which highlight successful community-led interventions and policy reforms that address barriers such as stigma, legislative hurdles, and funding gaps.

The speakers presented the BOOST Project 2023-2025 (Katrin Schiffer, Correlation), Advocacy Strategy for Comprehensive Health and Harm Reduction Services for People Who Use Drugs in Europe (Ganna Dovbakh, EHRA), Scaling up community involvement for an integrated, responsive and sustainable Harm Reduction (Ligia Parodi, EuroNPUD), and Decriminalization and regulation (Marios Atzemis, DPNSEE). A recorded message from Hon. Halldóra Mogensen, parliamentarian from Iceland, was presented.

Discussion after the presentations included contributions from Czech Republic, Juventas, and Pompidou Group.

CSFD plenary meeting

Posted on by Milutin

The Plenary Annual Meeting of the Civil Society Forum on Drugs (CSFD) and the joint meeting between the CSFD and Members of the EU Horizontal Drugs Groups (HDG) was held on on 11 – 12 December 2024.

The new 3-years mandate of the CSFD kicked off in Brussels in December with the selection of 43 civil society organizations. The CSFD is an expert group of the European Commission aimed at supporting drug policy formulation and implementation.

DPNSEE was re-elected to the CSFD, following a very fruitfull mandate in which we chaired one of the working groups.

The DG HOME.D5 Organised Crime & Drugs UNit, European Commission Directorate-General Migration and Home Affairs, which supports work of the CSFD, presented upcoming Commission activities concerning drug policy , emphasising the current strong political impetus to act against drug trafficking and the risks posed by organised crime, while CSFD asked for more human rights, health and care focus of EU Drugs Policy, balanced with security focus, and offered to contribute its ample evidence and experience. The CSFD requested more focus and funding for demand reduction, prevention, treatment and harm reduction in the upcoming new EU Drugs Strategy, while political signs would point in the opposite direction of only concentrating on supply reduction. The CFSD was concerned about a criminalisation of drug use that would in its view lead to more crime and violence, while a people-centred and community-based approach, as well as security considerations, would plead for decriminalisation and decent care for those using drugs.

Following a DPNSEE intervention, the CSFD called for cooperation with DG Near on balanced approach to accession acquis of the EU candidate countries.

The CSFD is governed by a core group. The new organisation of the CSFD and the Core Group inscludes two thematic groups:

  • Thematic Group 1: CSFD’s engagement with the EU towards UN institutions / CSFD’s engagement with the EU with third parties (bilateral dialogues, engagement with other entities, advocacy around accession of new Member States)
  • Thematic Group 2: Flexible working group focusing on setting up ad hoc/time bound groups focusing on specific themes or research (e.g. violence; synthetic drugs; internal security strategy; new EU drugs strategy; contributions to EUDA CS engagement mechanism; indicators)

The Core Group members are: Ganna Dovbakh as chair (Euroasian Harm Reduction Association, Ukraine), Oriol Esculies as vice-chair (coordinator of the Oviedo Initiative, Proyecto Hombre, Spain), Milutin Milosevic (DPNSEE, Serbia), Stig Erik Sorheim (EURAD, Norway), Benjamin Tubiana-Rey (Fédération Addiction, France) and Marie Nougier (IDPC, UK).

At the 7. Joint meeting with HDG, participants discussed EU preparedness for synthetic drug threats, developments in the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), recent and upcoming Dialogues on Drugs with third countries and regions, and drug-markets related violence.

 

Webinar on data

Posted on by Milutin

The Drug Policy Network South Wast Europe hosted a webinar to present the recently published data related to harm reduction and HIV/AIDS in South East Europe on 26 November 2024. Besides presenting the data, it was an opportunity to discuss ways in which data should be more reliable and how to integrate data collected by civil society organisations in govrenmental reporting.

Following the welcome address by Nebojša Đurasović, DPNSEE President, we had excellent presentations:

  • Global State of Harm Reduction report – presented by Colleen Daniels, Deputy Director and Public Health Lead, Harm Reduction International (2024 available here>>>)
  • Harm Reduction in South East Europe – Marios Atzemis, DPNSEE Board member (available here>>>)
  • Civil Society Monitoring of Harm Reduction in Europe – Iga Jeziorska, Senior Research Officer, Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network (available here>>>)
  • HIV/AIDS surveillance data for South East Europe (data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control – ECDC) – Milutin Milošević, Executive Director, DPNSEE (available here>>>)

In addition, DPNSEE had sent data by countries and territories to its member organisations and governmental institutions. You can also download them here:

Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Greece Kosovo*

Montenegro North Macedonia Romania Serbia Slovenia Turkey

DPNSEE informed that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control – ECDC will publish the HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe 2024 (2023 data) report on 28 November at https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/. DPNSEE will process the new data and prepare new visuals in early 2025.

Youth and gambling

Posted on by Milutin

The Regional Conference “Youth and Gambling – National and regional perspectives” was held on 20 November 2024 in Skopje. The conference is organized by HOPS – Healthy Options Project Skopje, in partnership with Labyrinth from Kosovo and Prevent from Serbia within the framework of the regional project “Youth and Gambling” with the support of the Western Balkans Fund. The main goal of the project is to advance national policies and practices aimed at preventing gambling among youth under the age of 25.

The conference was attended by representatives of the ministries, institutions and civil society organizations responsible for this issue from North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo.

The results of the research “Youth and their Betting Habits in North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo” were presented at the conference. This research, which included 214 young people under the age of 25 in Macedonia, showed that 17.8% of respondents declared themselves addicted to gambling. Eighty-four percent of respondents said that they know someone younger than 25 who is addicted to playing games of chance. Of these, as many as 39.3% said they knew more than 10 people under the age of 25 who were addicted to gambling, and only 11.2% said they did not know a person under the age of 25 who was addicted to gambling.

Regarding the information provided to gambling players by the organizers of these games about the danger of becoming addicted, only 19.2% of respondents said that in the facilities where they play gambling there is information that one can become addicted to these games. Also, only 7.5% of respondents said that in the facilities where they play gambling there is information where one can seek help in case of addiction to these games.

Similar data are noted in Serbia and Kosovo.

The conference adopted regional and recommendations for each of the participating countries/territories.

Reports from the project are abailable in Macedonian, Serbian and Albanian.

Slovenia opens first drug consumption room

Posted on by Milutin

ŠENT – Slovenian Association for Mental Health opens tomorrow Goriška varna soba (Goriška Safe Room), first drug comsumption room in Slovenia.

The Safe Room is a harm reduction program aimed at a high-risk population of illicit drug users. The basic purpose of the safe room is to reach and respond to the needs of this particularly vulnerable group of users, whose needs cannot be adequately addressed within the existing public health system. At the same time, these users may be a significant burden to the local environment/community. With the services ŠENT offer in the safe room, they can most effectively and directly influence the reduction of health risks, and indirectly also the risks that they deal with within the social welfare and criminal law areas of treatment. In addition, the use of drugs is withdrawn from the public space into a private and at the same time controlled space, which reduces the possibility of exposure to the general public, including the risks that arise from the use of drugs in a public space.

The basic goals of safe room programs are the prevention of overdoses and health complications and the possibility of effective treatment in the event of them, the prevention of blood-borne diseases (Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, HIV, etc.) and bacterial infections, the reduction of drug use in public areas, enabling contact with particularly vulnerable and hard-to-reach users, reducing the costs of health, social and legal protection related to the use of illegal drugs.

ŠENT plan to connect the operation of the safe room program with the operation of the existing day center for users of illegal drugs in Nova Gorica (Sedejeva 9a). The space in which only this one operates and which is owned by the Municipality of Nova Gorica (MONG) is an independent building – a living container, which consists of interconnected modules, and has been used by the ŠENT association since 2006. The space has over the years of use proven to be suitable for the provision of harm reduction services, as due to its location (on the outskirts of the city of Nova Gorica) and its location outside the strict residential area, it is undisturbed for the residents. The city center is 500 meters away, which still ensures proximity to everyone who needs it.

Final preparations for the Safe Room openning

The safe room program will follow the guidelines of safe rooms from abroad. It will include a main area dedicated to drug use and individual work with users. The drug use area will be divided into two parts, one part will be for intravenous drug use, while the other part will be intended for users who will use the drug orally or nasally. The safe room will be used by one user at a time, who will have from 20 to 60 minutes available to use the drug, and the specific needs of the individual user must be taken into account, as some have problems with collapsed veins and consequently need longer injection time. Each user will have at their disposal sterile accessories that will enable nasal, oral and intravenous use of drugs, as well as other necessary accessories, which are free in the program.

Before using the safe room service, the user will have to take care of preliminary hygiene under the guidance of an employee, after use he will have to clean the work surface, for which s/he will have available cleaning products and a tray for infectious waste. The sterility and appropriateness of the work surfaces must be monitored and, if necessary, also ensured by the employee during use. The program will employ two professionals, a medical graduate and a social welfare professional.

Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia is the source of co-financing of the safe room. The total value of the operation is 207,359.68 Euro.

 

Call for applications for external evaluation

Posted on by Milutin

The BOOST project is calling for applications for external evaluation of the project. The evaluation is crucial in assessing the progress of BOOST, the effectiveness of the partnerships, and the overall impact on harm reduction services.

With respect to the scope of work, the external evaluator will:

  • Review relevant project documents (e.g., project proposals, work plans, progress reports, internal M&E database).
  • Conduct interviews with key stakeholders, including project partners, project beneficiaries, peers, mini-lighthouses and mentees, among others.
  • Analyse project progress against the planned outcomes, using data collected by the internal M&E team, including baseline, process, output and outcome indicators.
  • Conduct an outcome harvest to identify policy and practice changes, as well as other relevant outcomes attributed to the project’s actions.
  • Provide an evaluation of the process, including:
    • How effectively the activities were implemented.
    • How well the consortium collaborated and communicated.
    • The overall impact of the project activities on harm reduction services.

If you are interested in applying, please take a look at the Terms of Reference (ToR) and submit a brief proposal outlining your approach to the evaluation and the corresponding budget.