No Health Without Rights: New Policy Brief Urges Universal Health Coverage for People Who Use Drugs in Europe
In support of the EU Drug Policy Campaign 2025, the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA), together with the Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN), the European Network of People Who Use Drugs (EuroNPUD), and the Drug Policy Network South East Europe (DPNSEE), has released a new policy brief: Advancing Universal Health Coverage for People Who Use Drugs in Europe.
The brief calls for urgent reforms to ensure equitable access to healthcare for one of the region’s most marginalized populations. It outlines how people who use drugs continue to face systemic barriers to essential services—including harm reduction, mental health care, and treatment for infectious diseases—despite longstanding EU commitments to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Universal health coverage must mean everyone—especially those most often left behind,” said Ganna Dovbakh, Executive Director at EHRA. “This paper is a roadmap for the EU and governments to close the gap between policy and practice.”
A policy webinar to discuss the brief’s findings and recommendations is planned for 10 October, marking World Mental Health Day.
The release of the brief aligns with the EU Drug Policy Campaign 2025, which calls on EU institutions to adopt a health- and rights-based approach in the upcoming EU Drug Strategy (2026–2030).
This publication is part of the EU-funded BOOST project, which supports community-led advocacy for inclusive health systems across Europe.
Read the full policy brief here
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