The ESPAD-MedSPAD bridge project is an initiative aimed at assessing the use of school surveys in policy and prevention planning and evaluation across more than 40 countries in the European and Mediterranean regions. ESPAD is an independent research project supported by EMCDDA and conducted by research teams in more than 40 European countries with the overall aim to collect comparable data on substance use and other risk behaviours among 15- to 16-year-old students. MedSPAD (Mediterranean School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) is a project set up, designed and funded by the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe. This project, which is an adaptation of ESPAD, is aimed at building capacity and developing effective tools for monitoring youth substance use and risk behaviours in countries of the Southern Mediterranean region.

The current initiative aims to exploit the synergy between the two projects to provide an improved understanding of how school surveys are being used in policy and prevention planning and evaluation, with a special focus on the ESPAD and MedSPAD surveys. Its specific objectives are:

• To gather information on the main and emerging patterns of drug use and risk behaviours and trends in order to set priorities for policy and prevention actions targeting young people;
• To gather information on needs and priorities to assist with the selection of targeted evidence-based policies;
• To collect data to help monitor whether existing prevention strategies and programmes are obtaining the intended outcomes or, if challenges still exist, to gather inputs about possible modifications that may be needed;
• To inform the need for and content of capacity building and training for decision makers in charge of developing strategies;
• To develop prevention actions/strategies within schools;
• To inform public debate and discussion about substance use and risk behaviours, in particular through media interest.

More than 250 experts gave their contribution to assess the current challenges in the use of school survey results and to identify the possible strategies and actions to tackle them. The purpose of the current report is to provide an overview and summary of the main findings. Therefore, all contents reflect the situation based on the information and opinions provided by policy-makers, policy experts, experts in prevention and harm-reduction and scientists conducting or using school surveys. The results will contribute to enhancement of evidence-based decision-making in drug policies, prevention strategies, training and public debate.