30/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - Speaking during a visit on 21 December to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Dependency (EMCDDA), an EU agency in Lisbon, the President of Portugal, Jorge Sampaio, said he was optimistic about the EU's efforts to combat drug addiction problems. He said European politicians had taken action to respond to the drugs problem in the EU and formulate responses based on solid scientific evidence such as is provided by the EMCDDA.