Drug treatment systems in the Western Balkans

The report on "Drug treatment systems in the Western Balkans" is the product of a collaboration between the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). It presents the outcomes of joint work between EMCDDA, UNODC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Western Balkan states to obtain an updated overview of the countries’ national drug treatment systems.

Data on treatment provision in the Western Balkans remain somewhat patchy and, where available, are not yet fully comparable. Moreover, the coverage of national monitoring systems in place remains partial in most of the countries in the region. However, information on the characteristics, capacity, performance, and quality of national treatment systems is crucial to effectively plan treatment provision and commissioning, identify access barriers, and support investment decisions. Surveying of drug treatment facilities and regular client monitoring is therefore essential to determine whether key policy objectives are being met.

With the goal of assisting local governments in meeting their information needs and to expand on the available treatment-related data, a pilot survey of treatment facilities providing services to individuals with substance-related problems was carried out by the EMCDDA in 2017. Its main aim was to collect information from drug treatment providers across national addiction treatment systems on their characteristics, client utilisation, staffing, quality management, and the availability of interventions while accounting for their diversity.

The report provides a summary of the key findings drawn from the surveys carried out in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244), and Serbia, as well as conclusions and implications for practice and policy.

You can read and download the report here.