Workplace drug testing (WDT) is an interdisciplinary topic thus concerning not only people directly involved with the testing, i.e. laboratory personnel and collectors, but also employees and their representatives, human resources personnel, occupational physicians, risk assessors, compliance officers, lawyers (for the company and for the employees), drug counselling and treatment providers and policy-makers.

The situation becomes more challenging when WDT needs to be performed in a heterogeneous continent as Europe is, with its different cultures, trade unions' influence, health and safety policies, languages and laws. This was realized as early as 1998, when the EWDTS was founded primarily to ensure that WDT in Europe is performed according to a defined quality standard and in a legally secured way and secondly to provide an independent forum for all aspects of WDT.

The first aim is fulfilled via the formulation of drug and alcohol testing guidelines for urine,[1] hair,[2, 3] and oral fluid.[4, 5] The former two are already accepted by the European Co-operation for Accreditation, (EA) as advisory documents.[6] The oral fluid guidelines have been submitted to the EA and are waiting to be accepted. The second EWDTS goal is mainly achieved through the Society's biannual international symposia: in Huddinge, Sweden (1998), in Rimini, Italy (2000), in Barcelona, Spain (2003), in Dublin, Ireland (2005), in Stockholm, Sweden (2007), in Copenhagen, Denmark (2009), and the last one, held in Edinburgh, Scotland (2011). Thanks to John Wiley & Sons Ltd, this special issue contains 7 of the 21 sessions presented at this last meeting.