EUDA Executive Director, Dr Lorraine Nolan, addressed the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) today, setting out the priorities of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Agencies’ Network (JHAAN) for 2026.
The EUDA took over the JHAAN presidency from the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) on 1 January 2026 and will chair the network until 31 December, before handing over to the Vilnius-based European Institute for Gender Equality in 2027. This is the second time that the EUDA has presided over the network, and the first under its strengthened mandate.
Setting the tone for the year ahead, Dr Nolan described the network as a ‘solid and effective cooperation framework’, with clearly defined processes, which positions it to respond more coherently to increasingly complex threats.
She noted that the EUDA presidency began at a pivotal moment, marked by major EU policy developments, including the European Preparedness Union Strategy, the Internal Security Strategy, the renewed EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan against drug trafficking and new EMPACT priorities for 2026–2029.
Against this backdrop, Dr Nolan introduced the overarching presidency theme for 2026: ‘One Safety — building preparedness and resilient communities’. This concept, she explained, reflects a broader understanding of security, bringing together public health, law enforcement, social policy and technological innovation to address interconnected threats.
‘Across the Union, we face a set of interconnected and rapidly evolving challenges, both within and beyond our borders’, Dr Nolan told Members of the LIBE Committee. ‘In such an environment, siloed approaches cannot succeed’, she added. For this reason, the 2026 JHAAN programme emphasises coordinated, cross-sectoral action and a whole-of-society approach, while upholding fundamental rights and supporting inclusive, resilient communities.
With this vision in mind, the network will focus on four thematic pillars: preparedness; protection and response; resilience; and the external dimension. These will underpin efforts to enhance early warning systems, target high-risk criminal activity, reinforce community-level responses across the Union and strengthen cooperation with key partner regions.
‘With One Safety, we aim to strengthen Europe’s collective ability to anticipate, prevent and respond to security threats, while building resilient communities and public trust rooted in fundamental rights,’ Dr Nolan said.
Concluding her address, she highlighted the importance of continued political support and close cooperation with the LIBE Committee, particularly in a shifting geopolitical landscape. She stressed that the network’s success will depend on its ability to deliver tangible results for citizens across Europe.
Dr Nolan was joined today by FRA Director Sirpa Rautio, who presented the activities of the JHAAN network last year under FRA’s presidency. These activities, detailed in the 2025 JHAAN annual report 2025, focused on the responsible use of digitalisation, innovation and artificial intelligence, and strengthening European internal security.
