In 1997, Byrne became Attorney General of Ireland in the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats coalition government. As one of the negotiators of the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998, he drafted and oversaw the major constitutional amendments required by that agreement, which were approved by Referendum in May 1998. Byrne also advised on the constitutional amendments necessary for Ireland's ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty. During his tenure, he established the first independent Food Safety Agency in Europe responsible to the Minister of Health.
European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection
Byrne was nominated to the European Commission by TaoiseachBertie Ahern in September 1999, serving as Ireland's EU Commissioner, and had responsibility for Health and Consumer Protection in the Prodi Commission. He continued in that role until replaced as Ireland's Commissioner by Charlie McCreevy in 2004.
Byrne was mooted as a potential candidate for the position of Director General of the World Health Organization following the death of the incumbent, Lee Jong-wook in 2006. However, he was eventually not included in the list of 13 candidates to head the agency.[9]
Life after politics
After leaving the European Commission, Byrne has held a variety of paid and unpaid positions, including the following:
European Alliance for Personalised Medicine, Co-Chair[10]