Brussels, 30/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 26 October, on the sidelines of the EU-Russia summit in Mafra, Portugal, the EU drugs monitoring centre (EMCDDA) and the Russian Federal Drugs Control Service (FDCS) signed a memorandum of understanding to improve cooperation. Several areas are targeted, such as the illegal use of drugs and drug trafficking in EU member states and Russia, new types of drugs and emerging trends in drug use, illegal drug production technology and prevention of drugs-related crime. The memorandum of understanding also provides for the development or improvement of joint indicators to assess the drugs situation, participation of FDCS experts in EMCDDA meetings, and vice versa, mutual access to statistical information and exchange of scientific research results, and training and capacity-building and the exchange of programmes, plans and practices. (B.C.)