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NordAN adopts two new resolutions on EU drug strategy and health taxes
- Nordic Alcohol and Drug Policy Network
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
20.11.2025 - At its General Assembly in Riga, Latvia, on 13 November 2025, the Nordic Alcohol and Drug Policy Network (NordAN) approved two new resolutions on drug control and alcohol-related health taxes. The first resolution calls for the next EU Drugs Strategy to focus first on prevention and health. The second proposes setting aside alcohol tax revenues (earmarking) to protect prevention programs and the work of independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These resolutions highlight NordAN’s concern over rising drug-related harm and the cutbacks in funding for public health and NGOs.
Prevention-first EU drug strategy
The resolution on a prevention-first and health-centred EU drug strategy points out that drug harm goes beyond deaths, causing serious health issues, broken families, financial hardship, and community problems. It notes fast changes in drug markets, including stronger synthetic drugs, the mixing of drugs (polydrug use), and online sales, emphasizing that young people are often the first affected. The text mentions that health services are not equally available across EU member states and that health funding is often the first to be cut when money is tight. It stresses that families, schools, workplaces, and community groups are essential for protection and recovery support. It also warns that social and economic inequality makes people more vulnerable to drug issues.
In this resolution, the NordAN General Assembly urgently asks EU institutions and member states to make prevention the main priority of the next EU Drugs Strategy. It pushes for clear goals, measurable results, and specific funds for proven actions in all settings: schools, families, workplaces, and communities, including how alcohol fits into polydrug use. It asks for a full health action plan to support law enforcement, better early warning systems and advice on synthetics, and easier access to services that are suitable for young people, sensitive to gender, and informed by trauma care. Crucially, the resolution calls for the real involvement of young people, people in recovery, families, and NGOs in planning and reviewing the strategy. It also demands reliable, long-term funding for community work and the protection of health budgets, even during crises.
Health taxes and civil society funding
The second resolution, titled “Resolution on health taxes with earmarking to safeguard prevention and civil society capacity,” addresses the worry that many national governments are reducing funding for civil society, which is made worse by changing EU funding rules. It stresses that reliable prevention, treatment, and support rely on steady national and local money, and that independent NGOs are vital to this work. The resolution refers to the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022–2030, which advises countries to consider setting aside alcohol tax money for prevention and treatment when suitable, matching the WHO “3 by 35” goal. NordAN recognizes that because tax and legal systems differ, earmarking methods cannot be the same everywhere.
NordAN therefore urges national governments to consider the option of setting aside (earmarking) a set portion of alcohol tax money for prevention, treatment, research, and civil society work that lowers alcohol harm, where this is possible and right. The resolution recommends clear and open earmarking rules that use a fixed share or formula, prevent these funds from being used elsewhere, and require yearly reports on how the money was used, with NGOs and independent experts helping with planning and oversight. It specifically calls for investing in local prevention skills so that local governments, schools, primary care, and community services, including small NGOs, can easily apply for these funds. The resolution warns that when civil society loses stable funding, democracies lose an important way for scrutiny and community voice, potentially allowing commercial interests and high-risk alcohol use to grow. Through this resolution, NordAN argues that well-designed health taxes with earmarking can effectively protect necessary public health programs, support independent NGOs, and ensure long-term public health benefits.
Prevention-first and health-centred EU drug strategy
Resolution on health taxes with earmarking to safeguard prevention and civil society capacity