INCB President meets with World Customs Organization and European Commission in Brussels
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Vienna/Brussels, 30 September - The President of the International Narcotics Control Board, Ms. Jagjit Pavadia, conducted a two-day mission to Brussels to hold meetings with officials of the World Customs Organization and the European Commission.
On 30 September, Ms. Pavadia met with Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization, to review joint cooperative efforts to ensure smooth licit trade in internationally controlled medicines, including during emergency situations, and the control of precursor chemicals frequently used in illicit drug manufacture.
The INCB President also met with Mr. Konstantinos Kaiopoulos, Director Tariff and Trade Affairs, Mr. Pranab Das, Director Compliance and Facilitation, Mr. Taeil Kang, Director Capacity Building, and their teams.
The visit to WCO Headquarters was an opportunity to review cooperation within the framework of the WCO-INCB Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2012.
A day earlier, the President of the Board had held high-level meetings at the European Commission, which has special responsibilities on precursor control on behalf of European Union member states.
Ms. Pavadia held discussions with Mr. Olivier Onidi, Deputy Director General for Migration and Home Affairs, focusing on drug and precursor control in the European Union and how full implementation of the international drug control conventions can promote public health and wellbeing and contribute to progress on Sustainable Development Goal 3.
At a meeting with Mr. Matthias Petschke, Director of the department for Taxation and Customs Union, talks focused on the control of precursors and non-scheduled chemicals used in illicit drug manufacture. The department is a long-standing member of INCB's Precursors Task Force.
In addition, the INCB President met with Mr. Ernesto Bianchi, Acting Deputy Director-General, European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). The Office is also a member of the INCB Precursors Task Force. The meeting provided an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of the Office's efforts in coordinating and strengthening precursor control among European Union member states.