Lisbon, 5. December 2024
The Management Board of the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), meeting in Lisbon this week, held elections today for its leadership positions. The Board elected Austrian member Franz Pietsch as Chairperson and Luxembourgish member Xavier Poos as Deputy Chairperson. They will hold these positions for a four-year term (2025–2028).
Both candidates held these positions under the EUDA’s predecessor, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), with their mandates set to conclude on 31 December 2024. The EUDA officially succeeded the EMCDDA on 2 July 2024, with its inaugural Management Board convening that same week to establish its rules of procedure.
Dr Franz Pietsch (Austria) is Deputy Director-General and Head of the Human Medicines Law Division at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection. He is also President of the Board of Trustees of the Anton Proksch Institute Foundation, one of Europe‘s largest addiction clinics. During his distinguished career, Dr Pietsch has contributed to a wide range of drug-related policies at national, European and international level. Member of the EMCDDA Management Board from 2002, he held the positions of Vice-Chair (2016–2021) and Chair (2022–2024). Over the years, Dr Pietsch also brought his expertise to the EMCDDA Budgetary Committee and Executive Committee.
Xavier Poos (Luxembourg) is Deputy Health Director within the Luxembourg Health Directorate, where he holds the position of Chief Administrative and Financial Officer. Mr Poos is also Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the Luxembourg Institute of Health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he played a key role as Vice-President, and later as President, of Luxembourg’s national ‘COVID-19 Logistics Cell’, coordinating critical efforts to manage the crisis, particularly by establishing a national purchasing and logistics strategy for healthcare products. Member of the EMCDDA Management Board from 2014, Mr Poos served as Vice-Chair from 2022 to 2024.
Commenting on the election results, EUDA Executive Director Alexis Goosdeel said: ‘I extend my warmest congratulations to Dr Franz Pietsch and Mr Xavier Poos on their election today and commend their unwavering commitment to the work of the agency. I would also like to express my gratitude for the pivotal roles they have played as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Management Board over the past three years, a period characterised by the successful transition from the EMCDDA to the EUDA. Building on our strong collaboration, I look forward to working closely with them towards the full implementation of the new EUDA mandate, and, together, contributing to strengthening EU preparedness on drugs’.
Notes
The Management Board is the EUDA’s main decision-making body and usually meets twice a year. It consists of one representative from each EU Member State, Türkiye and Norway, two European Commission representatives and two independent experts in the drugs field designated by the European Parliament. The rules and procedures for the election of the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson are laid down by Article 25 of the EUDA Regulation.
Source – EUDA