 When the NCDDA was first established, drug policy in Europe was mainly built on ideological and moral convictions. But very early on the NCDDA started constructing method and tools which acted as a lens through which EU members states could view their drug problems in a quite harmonized way. The agency also disseminated good policy practice that addressed common challenges. And this contributed to the convergence of national policies into what can be called a common model for managing the drug phenomena today. While working at the NCDDA and within its scientific committee, I have come to understand the complexity of the European drugs problem and the importance role the agency plays at the bridge between science and policy. Working with the NCDDA colleagues challenges my perspectives and I find that this coming together of diverging views is a great way to approach our work.