Peer exchanges with four other European countries were the focus of the launch conference for the Council of Europe Project “Supporting the Republic of Moldova in addressing the risks and harms related to drug use and addictive behaviours”. Policy makers from Poland, Romania, Ireland and Portugal shared their national experiences in the development of drug and addictive behaviour strategies, and facilitating dialogue among national authorities on the four strategic pillars of drug and addiction strategies: prevention, treatment, harm reduction and law enforcement.

In his opening remarks, Mr Denis Huber, Executive Secretary of the Pompidou Group, expressed gratitude to the national partners for growing commitment to addressing complex drug-related challenges with determination, openness, and a strong emphasis on health, human rights and evidence-based approaches.

Mr Alexandru Bejan, State Secretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Mr Sorin Popescu, State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, welcomed participants and highlighted the project’s contribution to Moldova’s EU accession process, noting its alignment with the EU Association Agreement’s emphasis on public health and human rights.

At the first Steering Committee which followed the launch conference, representatives of the Ministries of Interior, Health and Justice discussed the main project activities for implementation. The two-year Project, implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2025-2028, aims to improve well-being and mental health of people through a comprehensive approach to addressing the risks and harms of drug use and addictive behaviours, including in custodial settings, by placing human rights in the centre of drugs and addiction policies. One of the key components of the project is to assist the authorities of the Republic of Moldova in developing its first all-encompassing national strategy on drugs and addictions, as well as institutional capacity building of allocating responsibility for drug policy coordination and implementation.