EU project on anti-drugs support ends

Islamabad: Dr Syed Kaleem Imam, Federal Secretary, Ministry of Narcotics Control and Dr Christian Raitz von Frentz, First Secretary, Delegation of the European Union, formally closed the EU funded Project, EU Action against Drugs and Organised Crime (EU-ACT) here on Friday.

According to officials, the EU-ACT is a EUR 12 million multi-country project and forms part of the EU Global Illicit Flows Programme (GIFP), along with seven other projects. The GIFP works across four continents and incorporates projects that deliver responses to maritime and aviation trafficking, address drug supply, harm and demand reduction, arms trafficking and support trans-regional investigative best practice and post-seizure judicial outcomes. EU-ACT reinforced the capacities of participating governments in the disruption of the flow of illegal narcotics along the Southern and Northern heroin routes from Afghanistan and supported cooperation between them.

Despite the challenges and limitations brought about by the global covid-19 pandemic, EU-ACT has still brought added value to the cooperation between the European Union and Pakistan, delivering several events and activities during its lifetime.