The Pompidou Group continues its support to the launched in 1993 initiative of CAN (The Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs) to start a collaborative research project on school surveys of alcohol and other drug use. It funds the participation of non EU experts in project coordination meetings, it facilitates the interpretation and use of these data and encourages stakeholders to participate in the implementation of ESPAD 2011 as a means to understand drug use among youth in Europe.

In 2012, the Pompidou Group and ESPAD in cooperation with EMCDDA undertook an assessment of the impact of ESPAD among the ESPAD researchers, Reitox focal points and Permanent Correspondents of the Pompidou Group. It showed that ESPAD has had an important impact and has influenced the drug debate and policy in many countries.

Pompidou Group supports report on drug use among European youth

A multi-national study of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs use amongst 15-16 year-old European students was released in March 2009 as part of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), supported by the Pompidou Group.