EUFAS in 2025

Written By Jørgen Bramness

It has been a very active year for EUFAS. At the end of 2025, it is time to sum up some of these activities. EUFAS now unites 36 national societies from 24 European countries, fostering collaboration across disciplines and borders. Firstly, I would like to mention that EUFAS has actively contributed to major European addiction and psychiatry conferences:

  • EPA Congress, Madrid (April 2025)
    A joint EUFAS–EPA symposium focused on ICD-11 addiction diagnostics, co-chaired by Prof. Sophia Achab (EPA) and Prof. Jørgen Bramness (EUFAS). This session addressed changes in diagnostic criteria and their implications for clinical practice. [eufas.net]

  • ESBRA Congress, Brussels (September 2025)
    EUFAS held its General Assembly during the ESBRA congress and organised a joint EUFAS–ESBRA session chaired by Prof. Marcin Wojnar.

We will continue this good activity in 2026 with participation in the EPA Congress in Prague (March 2026), where EUFAS will host at least one joint session with EPA, including a confirmed symposium on benzodiazepines.

EUFAS also has several ongoing strategic partnerships with key European organisations:

  • European Psychiatric Association (EPA)
    A formal Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 2025, reinforcing joint initiatives and symposia.

  • European Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism (ESBRA)
    Close ties continue, with shared board members and joint events.

  • European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM)
    New collaboration through a workgroup on nitrous oxide abuse. This resulted in a publication: Addressing the silent epidemic of recreational nitrous oxide use: a position, call to action and recommendations by the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Committee on Biological Markers of Nitrous Oxide Abuse (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41292176/)

  • EU-COMP Consortium
    EUFAS participates in this EU-wide project to develop a common curriculum for addiction prevention, harm reduction, and treatment, integrating scientific evidence and experiential knowledge.

EUFAS has also had some educational and developmental Initiatives

  • French-German Masterclass
    Organized under EUFAS auspices by Heidelberg and Lyon universities, this event brought together over 20 junior and senior researchers to foster cross-border collaboration in addiction research (https://www.eufas.net/master-classes). There is also talk about an initiative for a Nordic master-class. We hope this can also inspire other initiatives.

  • EUFAS Surveys and Publications
    EUFAS continues to publish collaborative surveys in European Addiction Research (EAR), its official journal, addressing key questions in addiction science. If you have any ideas or initiatives for surveys that should be performed by EUFAS, do not hesitate to take contact!

During the general assembly in September 2025, a new Executive Committee was elected

    • President: Prof. Jørgen Bramness (Norway)

    • First Vice President: Prof. Benjamin Rolland (France)

    • Second Vice President: Prof. Eva Hoch (Germany)

    • Secretary General: Prof. Joar Guterstam (Sweden)

    • Treasurer: Prof. Frieder Wurst (Austria)

    • Members without portfolio:

      • Marcin Wojnar (Poland)

      • Cristina Ribeiro (Portugal)

      • Philippe de Timary (Belgium)

      • Roberta Agabio (Italy)

    • Members with meeting, but no voting, rights

      • Immediate past president Colin Drummond

      • European Addiction Research editor-in-chief Karen Ersche

      • Karl Mann (founding president)

      • Antoni Gual (past president)

      • Geert Dom (past president)

At the general assembly in September 2025, we also discussed the way ahead for our society. Future ideas included

  • Expand partnerships with European societies and research networks.

  • Promote multidisciplinary approaches to addictive behaviours.

  • Support young researchers through masterclasses and collaborative projects.

  • Continue advocacy for evidence-based addiction policies across Europe.

As the current president of EUFAS I welcome any feedback on our activities and ask you to contact me on any matter!

I wish all member societies of EUFAS all the best for the holiday sesason

Jørgen G. Bramness
President of EUFAS

Jørgen Bramness
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EUFAS symposium at ESBRA in Brussels 2025