10/10/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/10/2025 06:40
Alexis Goosdeel, Executive Director of the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), has just concluded his first official visit to Egypt. The two-day visit focused on the mutual benefits of strengthening preparedness to address drug-related challenges. The visit also paved the way for closer collaboration between the EUDA and Egypt within the EU4Monitoring Drugs II project, funded by the European Union.
The EUDA Executive Director was received by the Interior Minister, H.E. Major General Mahmoud Tawfik and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population, H.E. Dr. Khaled Abdelghaffar.
The EUDA delegation held discussions with the heads of the Egyptian Anti-Narcotics General Directorate of the Ministry of Interior and the International Anti-Narcotics Training Center, the National Fund for Drug Control and Addiction Treatment, and the General Secretariat of Mental Health and Addiction Treatment. Topics on the agenda included tackling drug trafficking and synthetic substances, the benefits of early-warning systems and of strengthening evidence-based prevention, treatment and rehabilitation programmes.
Opportunities for common capacity-building and knowledge exchange were also explored and some concrete actions and joint activities for the coming months identified. These include invitations to Egyptian experts to attend key strategic meetings in Lisbon and in Athens.
At the end of the visit, Alexis Goosdeel declared the firm commitment of both parties to deepen collaboration: 'The European Union and the Republic of Egypt have strong potential to develop together a partnership for cooperation on drug-related matters. Situated on either side of the Mediterranean, and given the geostrategic position of Egypt, it is in our mutual interest to build together shared preparedness on drugs.'
This visit underlines the EUDA's commitment to establishing mutually beneficial cooperation while building sustainable frameworks for cooperation and knowledge sharing. This is aligned with the new International Cooperation Framework (ICF), that defines the agency's vision and priorities for enhancing global collaboration on drug-related challenges.
We are grateful for the excellent support provided by the EU Delegation in Egypt that played a key role in organising the visit and enabled us to meet the EU Ambassador and representatives of the Member States and theUNODC Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa.