The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) Management Board is underway in Lisbon this week where it is addressing a range of strategic topics shaping the future of the agency.
A key result of the meeting today was the appointment of a new EUDA Executive Director, which took place during a restricted session. Dr Lorraine Nolan (Ireland) was elected by a two-thirds majority in a secret ballot. The new Executive Director is expected to take up office on 1 January 2026, succeeding Alexis Goosdeel (Belgium), who has led the agency since 1 January 2016 and will continue in this role until the end of the year. The Board interviewed three candidates who had been short-listed for the post on 6 May by the European Commission.
Since 2016, Dr Nolan, has been Chief Executive of Ireland’s Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), the national agency responsible for the regulation of medicines, medical devices and other health products. Dr Nolan is an established operator at European and international level and former Chair of the Management Board of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). During her career, Dr Nolan has been lead support to the Ministry of Health in drug policy development. With a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from Trinity College, Dublin, she has also worked as a forensic scientist for Ireland’s Department of Justice (1998–2001). In this role, she carried out forensic profiling of illicit drugs and interacted with the National Drugs Unit of the police force.
The appointment follows a competitive public recruitment process, launched in September 2024. The three short-listed candidates were interviewed on 20 May at a public hearing before the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE).
During this week’s meeting, the Management Board also discussed the implementation of the EUDA regulation and heard presentations on the outgoing and upcoming presidencies of the EU by the Polish and Danish delegates. Furthermore, the Board adopted a new:
- EUDA Communication Strategy, adapted to the mission of the agency and its customers;
- EUDA International Cooperation Framework, which sets the direction for the agency’s partnerships.
On 19 June, an Extended Management Board session will focus on the environmental impact of drugs. This session will feature interventions by the Netherlands, Spain and Serbia. The geostrategic discussions will continue with a presentation by the Executive President of DEVIDA on cocaine markets and environmental impacts in Peru. EUDA experts will present on the development of monitoring drug-related environmental impacts.
