#Agencies: Race to relocate agencies approaches finish line #EMA #EBA

As ministers gather around the table to discuss the UK’s progress towards the exit – at the General Affairs Council on Article 50 - the first thing on their minds isn’t the financial settlement, or citizens’ rights or the Irish border. Today (20 November) all attention is focused on dividing the spoils of Brexit, namely the two agencies that will have to relocate from London, writes Catherine Feore.

Candidates for the EMA (19) and EBA (8) have completed their final round of lobbying. Having thrown its name in to the ring for both agencies, Ireland has strategically withdrawn its bid for the medicines agency.

Ireland had two very strong bids for the European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirms today that Ireland has withdrawn its bid for the European Medicines Agency in order to focus on its bid for the European Banking Authority, recognizing the political challenge of pursuing two bids concurrently. The decision on the relocation of the agencies will be taken by the General Affairs Council this evening.

Malta has withdrawn its bid and the field is still narrowing. When a senior diplomat was asked on Friday if there would be any horse-trading – for example, getting the presidency of the eurozone rather than an agency – she said that in her experience there is often a trade-off and there may be many possible deals.The ministers will firstly vote on the European Medicine’s Agency, which is the larger agency, then the European Banking Authority.

With almost 900 members of staff, the EMA poses the greater challenge. This is not just a question of the highly skilled staff, they will also need school places – preferably international schools – for their 648 children.Traditionally, a new agency would go to an EU member state that does not already host an EU agency. Exceptionally, given the timescale and the fact that staff will be forced to move, a great deal of thought will have to be given to staff requirements. Nevertheless, countries such as Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania will say that it is their turn and that they should host at least one agency.

The EMA has many fine suitors, the top runners are Amsterdam, Vienna and Copenhagen. Barcelona could have been a real contender, but not with the current difficulties in Catalonia. If logic was ever an over-riding reason for a European decisions Frankfurt would be the most obvious contender for the EBA, but then it would be nice to give a bauble to La France - given their current President's impeccable commitment to further European integration, especially in the eurozone.

But do the big guys really make large amounts of political capital from these gifts? In Ireland, on the other hand the choice of Dublin would be a small but well-deserved reward for the best-behaved kid in the class. I won’t be placing any money at the local bookmakers, but I will put my neck out and say Copenhagen for the EMA and Dublin for the EBA. The obvious flaw in this accumulator is that there is no central or eastern European state. So my second choice is Amsterdam - EMA and Prague - EBA.