The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) has been awarded the Gold Medal of the Order of Merit of the National Plan on Drugs, granted by the Spanish Government Delegation for the National Plan on Drugs (DGPNsD).

The EMCDDA, located in Lisbon, was created as an Agency of the European Union, through the EEC Regulation No. 302/93, of February 8, 1993. Its mission is to provide the EU and its Member States with an objective view of the problems related to drugs in Europe and a solid basis on which to support the debate on this matter, through tools such as the REITOX Focal Points Network, and other monitoring and evaluation instruments. Currently, the EMCDDA offers policymakers the information they need to prepare well-founded laws and strategies on drugs. The Agency also provides key information to professionals and researchers in the sector to identify best practices and new areas of research.

In recognition of this work, Spain - through the Government Delegation for the National Plan on Drugs of Spain of the Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare - has awarded the EMCDDA, in the person of its director Alexis Goosdeel, with its the gold medal, considering the relevance of the work carried out, both for the European Union and internationally; being especially relevant in the framework of European cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean.

The EMCDDA cooperates in COPOLAD since its beginning in 2011, contributing to support processes of political transformation in the field of information gathering in CELAC countries. Within the framework of COPOLAD, the EMCDDA coordinates efforts with the Inter-American Observatory on Drugs (CICAD-OAS), supporting the promotion of evidence-based policies, providing technical training and advice in areas of outstanding relevance such as Early Warning Systems (EWS), the production of national drug reports, and many other key developments in the field. From COPOLAD we wish to express our recognition for those efforts, as key contributions to strengthening the capacity of the CELAC countries for the registration of key indicators and the promotion of studies that provide greater evidence for the formulation of policies capable of addressing the many challenges related to drugs existing in each country.

From COPOLAD, we congratulate the EMCDDA, its Director and the whole team for their well-deserved prize, thanking them for their relevant work, useful to all countries and also to attain the COPOLAD objectives in this field.