On September 30, 2007, ministers from France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom gathered in Lisbon, Portugal, not only to acknowledge the threat posed by bulk movements of cocaine across the Atlantic to Europe and the movement of cannabis across the Mediterranean, but to join forces under a concrete initiative to counter the threat. The signing of a treaty created the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC (N); the Centre), establishing a one-of-a-kind center in Europe that would develop into a trusted international platform for combating international drug trafficking.

Portugal is not only a valued partner of MAOC (N) for its contributions from the law enforcement and military perspectives. Flanking the eastern Atlantic seaboard, the country has hosted the Centre since its inception. The Centre’s physical presence in the most westerly European nation is no accident: it is a strategic location at the source of supply for Europe’s cocaine market, positioning the Centre to play an important role in disrupting the maritime cocaine flow. Coupling this strategic location and proximity with international interdiction efforts with key political support in Portugal has made Lisbon the ideal setting for this cross-disciplinary coordination platform. That political support was exemplified in November 2014, when the Portuguese Parliament passed legislation providing a platform and vision for the Centre’s future in the country.

In 2015, the Centre received a European Public Sector Award Best Practices Certificate, followed by recognition in June 2016 under the Lisbon Declaration (at the G7++ Friends of Gulf of Guinea Conference) as an example in setting the benchmark for international cooperation and operational platforms.