EMA’s painful departure .EU is acting rapidly and decisively on the future of the flagship agency .
There are only two certainties for the future of the European Medicines Agency: that it will move out of London after Brexit, and that the UK will have no voice in deciding where it goes. Everything else is open to question — and is causing growing concern.
As the countdown towards March 2019 advances, the UK continues to send mixed messages about what relationship it wants with the EU and the timetable for implementation. But Brussels is acting rapidly and decisively on the future of the flagship agency soon to be stranded outside its borders.
Under current plans, the other 27 EU states will hold discussions on October 17 to select a new location for the EMA, ahead of a vote on November 20. Despite British ministers’ hopes that the agency will remain in the UK, it is inconceivable for the EU that such an important regulator, employing some 900 specialists, is located outside the bloc.
The economic significance of the EMA prize is demonstrated by the appetite from countries seeking to be its host: 19 submitted bids ahead of the deadline at the end of last month, some backed by significant investment in slick websites and videos.
Criteria for host cities include accessibility, availability of schools, access to the labour market, healthcare for spouses and children, business continuity, geographical spread, and the assurance that the agency will be operational by the time the UK leaves the EU.
According to the commission, the submissions “provide varying levels of information about the different criteria and specific issues”. Some fall short in providing sufficient information or assurances; others face difficulties over poor transport links or political instability, not least Barcelona since last weekend’s turbulent referendum in Catalonia.
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