Bidding contest for hosting #EMA

Political pressure is mounting not to overlook central and Eastern Europe in deciding where a key EU Agency is rehoused after Brexit, writes Martin Banks.    

With the bidding war intensifying to host the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Slovakia is fast emerging as a leading contender.

The EMA,  along with the European Banking Authority, is located in the UK but must be relocated after Britain exits the EU in 2019. Slovakia joined the EU in 2004 and, it  points out, is the oldest member state which does not yet host an EU Agency.

By contrast, the Polish capital Warsaw hosts the European Border and coast Guard Agency – Frontex – while the Czech city Prague is home to the European GNSS Agency (GSA).

Budapest, the Hungarian capital, currently hosts two EU bodies, the European Innovation Institute and the EU agency for law enforcement training.

In his recent state of the union address to the European Parliament, Jean-Claude Juncker, the Commission president, called for measures designed to boost “European cohesiveness” to be implemented.

One strategic EU goal, said Juncker, should be a “stronger, unified Europe” and building stronger links between western and eastern Europe is a means of achieving this.

Commenting on this recently the Slovak Premier Robert Fico said his country had become a “pro-European island” in the region. Compared with other eastern European countries, such as Poland, currently at the centre of a major dispute with the EU over the rule of law, and Hungary, whose PM Viktor Orban has repeatedly clashed with the EU leadership, Slovakia is unambiguous in its wholehearted support of Juncker’s strategy.

The PM also points out that he increased Slovakia’s pro-EU credentials by bringing it into the eurozone in 2009 when its richer Czech neighbours kept their own currency. In recent months, since the election of Emmanuel Macron in France gave a boost to pro-Europeans across the bloc, Prime Minister Fico has embraced the EU more ardently, saying he aims to steer into a “core” Europe, even if neighbours want to stay on the fringes.     A final decision on which of the 19 offers to host the London-based Agency will be taken by the General Affairs Council at a meeting in Brussels later this month (20 November).

A senior source at the Slovakian Permanent Representation to the European Union told this website said that in deciding which city hosts the EMA, the EU should taken into account the fact that Slovakia does not yet host an EU agency.

"The geographical balance of these EU agencies is very important and one good reason why our bid is being seen as such a strong one," he said.

He points out that Bratislava, the Slovak choice for the agency, currently meets most if not all of the necessary criteria. The successful candidate must demonstrate that it can provide the necessary infrastructure, transport links, working conditions and schools for the 900 staff who currently work at the EMA in London.

The Slovak bid won the backing of a potentially important ally recently when Maros Sefcovic, the EU commissioner for the energy union, said its bid fulfils the criteria and that not having an agency yet was an important advantage for Slovakia.

Which city hosts the agency is a big issue for the European healthcare sector and, whichever city emerges as the winner, the relocation decision has to be done as soon as possible to avoid patient security problems in the vigilance of controlling and monitoring the pharmaceuticals market in the EU.

Commenting on the bidding war, UK Socialist MEP Richard Corbett told this website that the agency is a much sought after prize, adding: “The long queue of cities wanting to host this agency shows how valuable it is to do so.”

These are the 19 cities proposed to host the EMA:  Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Athens (Greece), Barcelona (Spain), Bonn (Germany), Bratislava (Slovakia), Brussels (Belgium) Bucharest (Romania), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dublin (Ireland), Helsinki (Finland), Lille (France), Milan (Italy), Porto (Portugal),Sofia (Bulgaria), Stockholm (Sweden), Malta (Malta), Vienna (Austria),Warsaw (Poland), Zagreb (Croatia).

Founded in 1995, the EMA is responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines in the EU. The Agency is seen as being essential to the functioning of the single market for medicines in the EU.

A European Commission spokesman told this website that the applications will be assessed on the basis of six criteria including that the successful bid can guarantee that the Agency will be operational when the UK leaves the EU.

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