Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network is a European network tackling marginalisation and social exclusion of various groups of people including drug users by improving their access to services.

Correlation es una red europea centrada en la marginación y la exclusión social de ciertos grupos de personas, entre ellos usuarios de drogas ilegales, a fin de mejorar su acceso a los servicios que necesitan.

Correlation est un réseau européen dont le travail est ciblé sur la marginalisation et l’exclusion sociale de certains groupes de personnes, y compris les consommateurs de drogues illégales, dans le but d’améliorer leur accès aux services dont ils ont besoin.

Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network

This Policy Brief provides an overview of the state of the art regarding Drug Consumption Rooms (DCRs), exploring developments, challenges and needs in their work, as well as an overview of recommendations and examples of good practices for policymakers that wish to support these harm reduction interventions. The paper draws from the activities of the European Network of Drug Consumption Rooms [ENDCR] and, in particular, from the DCR Technical Meetings organised by the ENDCR and the European Union Drugs Agency [EUDA] in 2023 and 

, respectively, in Lisbon and Athens. These meetings gathered DCR representatives from all over Europe to discuss key updates, monitoring, capacity building and advocacy needs and plans.

Creating safer consumption spaces in Europe: Evolving contexts and implications for policy

Drug Consumption Rooms are safe spaces where people can use drugs under hygienic conditions, with support, and without fear of violence or legal repercussions. Today, more than 140 legally-sanctioned DCRs operate in 11 European countries, as well as in Australia, Canada, Mexico and the USA. Join us on a global video tour to discover why they were established, how they support their local communities and how these life-saving harm reduction facilities have evolved over time. Watch the full film co-produced by Drugreporter and Correlation - European Harm Reduction Network.

Drug consumption rooms around the world - Video

The study aims to provide an overview of the range, scope and structure of care services for people who use drugs currently provided by drug consumption rooms in Europe. To this end, the study: describes the operational characteristics, capacities and services of DCRs in Europe, as well as their settings and client characteristics; and identifies recent developments in the operational characteristics, capacities and services of DCRs in Europe.

Drug consumption rooms in Europe – Operational overview

 The role of cities in promoting more just and effective drug policies


Cities are increasingly recognised as crucial drivers of innovation in drug policy. As interest in a new approach to deliver more just and effective drug policies grows, cities face significant challenges in finding room to design new drug policies and in their implementation, due to political resistance, public opposition, and the rise of populist ‘zero tolerance’ and ‘tough on drugs’ politics across Europe.

This webinar will address the important role of cities in forming progressive drug policies and discuss how cities can collaborate and push for positive change in cooperation with international partners and institutions.

The role of cities in promoting more just and effective drug policies

Webinar 4 – Fighting Disinformation and Moral Panics


June 18, 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Drug policies are often influenced by sensational media reporting that fuels moral panics about drugs and leads to the othering of people who use drugs. The spread of disinformation is a major barrier to drug policy reform, undermines basic norms and values like human rights and scapegoats civil society organisations. This webinar addresses strategies to fight disinformation in an age that is often characterised as post-truth. Participants will discuss what methods they use to educate the public about drugs and drug policies and how to defend civil society from politically motivated attacks.

Fighting disinformation and moral panics - Correlation webinar series

Webinar 3 – Meaningful Involvement of Civil Society

The meaningful involvement of civil society is now widely accepted in Europe as a crucial part of policy making. However, there is little or no consensus on what constitutes “meaningful” involvement. This webinar will present a new tool developed by the EU Civil Society Forum on Drugs in 2022, the Quality Standards of Civil Society Involvement, and the findings of a focus group study to assess civil society involvement in four European countries (Hungary, Finland, Greece and Ireland). Participants will discuss the often opposing views on the role of civil society, the challenges and opportunities of civil society involvement in various political contexts at European, national and local levels. The webinar will address the worrying trend of shrinking space for civil society in Europe.

Meaningful involvement of civil society - Correlation webinar series

Please join us on Monday 13 May at 12.00 CET for the launch of the 

2024 Manifesto for a Progressive EU Drug Policy

 through a conversation on the future of European drug policy that will feature Members of the European Parliament and keynote European civil society speakers.

Please kindly register for the event through 

More than 260 European drug policy NGOs and 130 drug policy experts from 25 EU Member States have already signed the 2024 Manifesto for a progressive EU drug policy. We are coming together to call for a pragmatic and innovative EU drug policy that makes Europe safer, healthier, and more just.

If you want to support the manifesto, please make sure to:

Encourage your drug policy networks and colleagues to sign the manifesto.

Share the manifesto on social media with the hashtag #FutureDrugPolicyEU24.

If you want to get more involved in the campaign by translating the manifesto to your language or organizing a local launch event, please reach out to arogialli@correlation-net.org and kschiffer@correlation-net.org.

You can find the manifesto in Czech, English, Estonian, French, German, Italian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Romanian, and Spanish, and the list of signatories, 

Thank you very much for your support, and we are looking forward to seeing you on Monday 13 for the launch of the manifesto.

Manifesto for a Progressive EU Drug Policy 2024 - Launch event

There are ongoing concerns among policymakers, law enforcement, and civil society organisations (CSOs) about the emergence of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in general (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), 2023; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 2023a), about the appearance of NPS in more traditional illicit substances available in global and European markets, and about the emergence of new drug trends in general. International agencies continue to warn about the potential health risks (such as overdose) associated with illicit substances, including synthetic opioids. CSOs, particularly those working closely with people who use drugs, play a pivotal role in notifying signals of change with respect to the use of new substances, changing patterns of drug use, or in changes in local drug markets. This calls for new approaches to rapidly update data on drug trends that include qualitative data provided by people who use drugs and by experts who are in contact with people who use drugs. Data from CSOs are considered complementary to other sources, providing useful intelligence on emerging drug trends. This report aims to explore the latest insights with respect to the emergence of new illicit substances in cities where Focal Points (FPs) of Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN)1are located, as well as other developments in drug use patterns, including polydrug use, routes of administration, and changes in local drug markets.The focus extends beyond NPS to allow for afull understanding of current local drug market developments.

New drug trends: Insights from focus group discussions

The BOOST project, a collaborative effort aimed at combating HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis in Europe, supports EU and neighboring countries through community-based and led harm reduction initiatives. This response, vital due to the disproportionate impact of these diseases on people who use drugs (PWUD) and marginalized populations, is structured around four main pillars: Inform, Improve, Support, and Connect & Act, which focus on data collection, capacity building, best practice enhancement, and advocacy, respectively.

This Advocacy Strategy provides an overarching framework and sets priorities for regional harm reduction and community-led networks working for EU and neighboring countries. The objectives of the Strategy will serve as a basis for developing joint regional advocacy actions for comprehensive health and harm reduction services for people who use drugs.

The Strategy aims to enhance the quality, accessibility, and coverage of harm reduction services. It focuses on increasing political will and financial sustainability, promoting community-driven harm reduction, ensuring access to specific health services, and advocating for comprehensive health and social care. The strategy emerged from an inclusive consultation process, including extensive online dialogues, surveys, and strategic meetings, which identified key barriers to service access and outlined objectives for improving harm reduction efforts across the continent.

Through this collective approach, the BOOST project and its partners aim to address the critical health needs of people who use drugs, advocating for changes that support harm reduction, health rights, contribute to the priorities of the EU Drugs Strategy 2021-2025, and ultimately, the goal of eliminating HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis as public health threats by 2030.

Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network

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Creating safer consumption spaces in Europe: Evolving contexts and implications for policy

Drug consumption rooms around the world - Video

Drug consumption rooms in Europe – Operational overview

The role of cities in promoting more just and effective drug policies

Fighting disinformation and moral panics - Correlation webinar series

Meaningful involvement of civil society - Correlation webinar series

Manifesto for a Progressive EU Drug Policy 2024 - Launch event

New drug trends: Insights from focus group discussions

United for change: Advocacy strategy for comprehensive health and harm reduction services for people who use drugs in Europe