COLLEGE MEETING: extension of the mandate of the Executive Director of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

Today, the European Commission has decided to propose to the Management Board of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) to extend the term of office of Mr Alexis Goosdeel as Executive Director for a duration of 5 years, with effect from 1 January 2021. Mr Goosdeel, a Belgian national, has been active in the field of drug policy for over two decades, covering a wide range of fields. He joined the EMCDDA as Enlargement Manager in 1999 and managed the participation of 12 EU candidate countries in the work of the Centre, while also facilitating their successful integration into its structures. From 2005, until his appointment as Executive Director on 10 September 2015 with effect on 1 January 2016, he was Head of Unit ‘Reitox and International Cooperation’, leading the coordination and development of the European Drug Information Network (Reitox) and contributing to the definition and implementation of the EMCDDA’s International Cooperation Strategy. Prior to joining the Centre, Mr Goosdeel had worked notably in several NGOs as project manager and managing director, focusing mainly on harm reduction and public health. Mr Goosdeel holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the Catholic University of Louvain. For the past 25 years, the Lisbon-based EMCDDA has been providing the EU and its Member States with ‘factual, objective, reliable and comparable information at European level concerning drugs and drug addiction and their consequences’. Formally established in 1993, it has been operational since 1995.