In June 2003, the Council of Health Ministers of the European Union adopted a series of recommendations aimed at preventing or reducing health-related harm in drug users. The EU-wide implementation of these recommendations was to be evaluated in 2005.
The International Affairs Programme of the Trimbos Institute was commissioned by the European Commission (EC) to perform a mapping exercise in the then 25 EU member states as well as a literature review on the most effective measures to prevent or reduce drug-related health damage. These investigations were carried out under the coordination of the EC and in cooperation with the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).
In addition to verifying whether the Council recommendations had been implemented, the project also sought to map out the current drug-related prevention and harm reduction activities within the EU. In some components of the project, the Trimbos Institute worked with experts from the Mainline Foundation and the Amsterdam Municipal Health Service. In mid-2006, the Trimbos Institute delivered its conclusions and recommendations to the EC, which reported the findings back to an expert committee. The results were submitted to the member states in late 2006. Partly on the basis of this mapping exercise, new recommendations for further action were developed.
