Chief of Irish medicines' watchdog appointed to take over European Union Drugs Agency
Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence Thomas Byrne congratulated Dr Lorraine Nolan on her appointment.
Dr Nolan was elected by a two-thirds majority in a secret ballot by the EUDA Management Board following a competitive public recruitment process and will take office on January 1, 2026.
Minister Byrne said: "This appointment is one of which Ireland is immensely proud. Dr Nolan's distinguished career and expertise uniquely position her to guide EUDA through its important mission of addressing one of the most significant challenges facing our societies today."
The European Union Drugs Agency plays a crucial role in monitoring, analysing, and responding to drug-related threats across the European Union.
Under Dr Nolan's leadership, the agency will continue to strengthen its capacity to address the evolving nature of drug markets and their associated harms, he said.
Minister Byrne added: 'I am confident that the EUDA will benefit enormously from Dr Nolan's expertise and vision. It is fantastic to see an Irish person elected to lead such a prominent and important EU agency.
"I very much look forward to working with her in her new capacity and to continuing Ireland's strong collaboration with EUDA.
'Ireland strongly welcomes and supports the appointment of Irish nationals to senior leadership positions with EU institutions and agencies. Such appointments reflect Ireland's commitment to European integration and our ability to contribute experienced skilled professionals to key roles that benefit the entire European Union.'
It was announced by the HPRA recently that Dr Nolan will step down from her position as head of the HPRA at the end of this year to pursue new career options.
ADVERTISEMENT
Dr Nolan has served as the Chief Executive of the HPRA for over nine years and, by the end of 2025, she will have completed two terms in this leadership role.
During her tenure, she has successfully guided the organisation through a significant transformation of its key regulatory functions and an expansion of its operations, elevating the standing of the HPRA on national, European and international levels.
In addition, her determined and strategic leadership during Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic ensured the national regulator for medicines and medical devices made a vital contribution to the successful navigation of these challenges.
The HPRA said Dr Nolan has been a significant contributor to the leadership of both medicines and medical device regulation at European level.
Through her former position as Chair of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Management Board (2022-2025) and her membership of the Heads of Medicines Agency (HMA) Management Group, she has held many significant roles at this level that have both defined strategy and positively enhanced delivery.
Professor Michael Donnelly, Chair of the HPRA, said: 'I wish to commend Dr Nolan for her unwavering leadership and dedication to the organisation.
"Her tenure has been marked by significant achievements and a hugely positive, enduring legacy. I want to express both my personal thanks and that of the Authority to Lorraine for her service and wish her every success with her future endeavours.'
The Authority is commencing the process for recruitment of a new Chief Executive of the HPRA to take up the position from January 2026.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
34 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Ireland's govt hit with €46k rent hike as taxpayer forced to foot €508k ambassador bill after ‘unsuccessful' negotiation
The Dept is also looking to buy a residence outright ON THE UP ON THE UP Ireland's govt hit with €46k rent hike as taxpayer forced to foot €508k ambassador bill after 'unsuccessful' negotiation ANNUAL rent for the Irish Ambassador's residence in London was increased by more than €46,000. And the Department of Foreign Affairs said it had little choice but to agree to the hike — even though it brought the cost of the pad close to €10,000 per week. The new lease of €508,925 per annum — a rise of ten per cent — was agreed in September 2022 because no better options were available, according to records released under FOI. The Irish Ambassador to the UK, formerly Adrian O'Neill and now Martin Fraser, had been living in the property since September 2019. And in late 2022, when the Dept of Foreign Affairs sought to extend the lease, the landlord said they wanted a 'substantial increase' in rent of over 11 per cent. Officials tried to negotiate but 'after several months, the landlord indicated that they would not accept any offer below £8,400 (€9,787) per week'. A spokesperson said: 'It was clear that a move would have no added benefit and would incur an additional cost to the Irish Exchequer. 'Accordingly, the Department decided to renew the lease to September 2026.' The Dept is also looking to buy a residence outright. Last year, sky-high lease costs included payments of €485,000 for Ireland's official residence in Tokyo. We also fork out €291,000 for an apartment in New York, and €204,000 for a pad in San Francisco. The rental bill in Tel Aviv, Israel, was almost €200,000, around €176,000 in Boston, and €135,000 in the South Korean capital Seoul. The Department also ran up 15 separate hotel and accommodation bills in excess of €5,000 last year, according to FoI figures. This included a spend of €30,480 at the five-star Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin 4 to host a delegation during the state visit by To Lam, the former President of Vietnam, last October. HUGE COSTS There was another bill of €9,300 from the same hotel for a visit by the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in December. And €5,241 was spent on accommodation at the Seven Alpina Hotel as part of Ireland's participation in the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The Department said an €8,408 bill at the four-star Fifty Sonesta Hotel in New York was for a staff member taking up a new posting. Among the other bills last year were €24,054 paid to the Dublin Airport Authority for platinum services for visiting dignitaries. Around €64,000 was spent on chauffeured cars with €11,600 paid out for a BMW in Washington DC. And €3.7million went on major maintenance of our residences overseas.
Irish Post
an hour ago
- Irish Post
Tánaiste calls on Russia to agree to full ceasefire in conflict with Ukraine
TÁNAISTE Simon Harris has called on Russia to agree to a full ceasefire and end its conflict with Ukraine. Mr Harris was speaking after a meeting between US president Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Reports since the meeting suggest Mr Trump now favours a peace deal instead of a ceasefire, with the president posting on his Truth Social account on Sunday that 'big progress' had been made. Meanwhile, Mr Putin has reportedly demanded Ukraine hands over control of the eastern Donetsk region in return for the freezing of front lines. While welcoming Mr Trump's commitment to ending the conflict, Mr Harris said Russia needed to agree to a full and unconditional ceasefire or risk further EU sanctions. "As a first step, we call on Russia to agree to a full and unconditional ceasefire," said Mr Harris on Saturday. "Ukraine also needs strong and credible security guarantees that will ensure its long-term security. "This matters not just for Ukraine but also for Europe's future security. "Ireland, with our EU partners, stands ready to impose additional sanctions and maintain firm and coordinated pressure on Russia. "We must never forget the impact of this war on the people of Ukraine, their enormous suffering, and the generational scars that this war will leave, particularly on so many young people." 'Russia remains the agressor' Mr Harris also called for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be fully involved in negotiations to end the conflict. President Zelenskyy is due to meet Mr Trump in Washington on Monday, along with other European leaders. "We must remember that Russia remains the aggressor in this conflict, and can end its aggression at any time," said Mr Harris. "President Zelenskyy and his government must be involved in all decisions on how the conflict ends. "Ireland will continue to work with EU partners to achieve a just and lasting peace that fully respects international law, including Ukraine's sovereignty and independence, and the inviolability of its borders." Following the Alaska summit, Mr Zelenskyy said on Twitter/X that he supported Mr Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the USA and Russia. "Ukraine emphasises that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this," he posted. However, in a subsequent post, he wrote: "We see that Russia rebuffs numerous calls for a ceasefire and has not yet determined when it will stop the killing. This complicates the situation. "If they lack the will to carry out a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort to get Russia to have the will to implement far greater [measures] — peaceful coexistence with its neighbours for decades."
Sunday World
2 hours ago
- Sunday World
Indian community celebrates independence day in Dublin
The free event at Merrion Square came despite a separate celebration being called off following concern over recent attacks on the Indian community Hundreds of people have participated in an event marking India Day in Dublin, as gardai and the Government sought to assure the community it was taking action against racially motivated crime. The free event at Merrion Square came despite a separate celebration being called off following concern over recent attacks on the Indian community. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has expressed concern over 'totally unacceptable' attacks on the Indian community, adding that the majority appear to have been carried out by young people. Mr O'Callaghan said he engaged extensively with the Garda commissioner on the matter, and senior investigating officers had been assigned to investigate all reported incidents. Event organizer Sanjeeb Barik with a statue of the Indian deity Jagannath as people attend the India Day Festival at Merrion Square Park, Dublin (Niall Carson/PA) Sunday's celebration, organised for India's 79th independence day, featured music, dance, food stalls, exhibition stands and a range of cultural activities. Sanjeeb Barik, the secretary of organising group the Federation of Indian Communities in Ireland, said the event had gone well amid 'fantastic and beautiful weather'. 'Lots of people are here, there's food and dancing and lots of fun.' Asked about the engagement with Government and gardai, Mr Barik said the event had received 'good support'. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'Naturally, because there has been so many incidents there was some concern. 'We have been actively discussing with ministers, junior ministers and the Minister of Justice and they have all assured us that appropriate safety measures would be in place – and they are. 'We're working very closely to make sure everyone would be safe and, importantly, that it would be enjoyable for everyone.' Mr Barik said they wanted to go ahead with the celebrations to send a message about the importance of standing together. 'It has been a challenging time but the main thing is to come together as a community and celebrate our heritage 'There are people from all backgrounds here – Indian, Irish and others – from all over the the island. 'It is about the strength of bonding and sowing the richness of India and Ireland's multicultural spirit.' From left, Areet Kaur Chandi, seven, Japleen Kaur, 10, and Preety Singh, eight, join the festivities for India Day in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA) He added: 'We are saying come together, stand together. Celebrate unity and diversity – and I hope that will continue.' Inspector Ciaran Nunan from the Garda diversity unit said hate crimes are attacks on the whole community. 'The mission statement of An Garda Siochana is keeping people safe, and this refers to individuals, families, communities and society as a whole. 'It also now includes hate crime. Hate crime is not just an attack on a person, it's an attack on the community. 'An Garda Siochana is very aware of the impact that hate crime has upon individuals and communities, and we take it very, very seriously. 'Since our last India Day celebration last year, we now have hate crime legislation in force and we're applying that legislation at every opportunity – but we need people to report incidents of hate crime to us so that we can then take them on board and react to those.' Entertainment was part of the festivities in Merrion Square Park (Niall Carson/PA) He added: 'So I would encourage everybody or anybody that perceives to be a victim of a hate crime to please report it to An Garda Siochana, and allow us to continue what we're doing and work with our communities to keep people safe. 'The Dublin event was attended by Akhilesh Mishra, ambassador of India to Ireland, and Minister of State Emer Higgins. The Ireland India Council, a separate group, said there had been an organised social media campaign against the Indian community in the country and the number of violent attacks has intensified since January. Last week, it said it took the 'difficult' decision to postpone its planned event at Farmleigh House over concerns for the safety of the community. People celebrating at the India Day Festival at Merrion Square Park, Dublin. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Today's News in 90 Seconds - 17 August
