In the near future the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the agency  responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines in the EU will need to be relocated in the context of Brexit. There have been 19 offers to host the European Medicines Agency (EMA). These are the cities proposed to host the EMA, as of 1 August 2017: Amsterdam; Athens; Barcelona; Bonn; Bratislava; Brussels; Bucharest; Copenhagen; Dublin; Helsinki; Lille; Malta; Milan; Porto; Sofia; Stockholm; Vienna; Warsaw; Zagreb. For further information on the different candidates please click here.   

The decision will likely be led by political, rather then technical, considerations. This risks to create, in the short run, significant troubles in the normal  operations of the Agency, and in the long run would endanger the capacity of the Agency  to respond to the need of all the stakeholders.  

In the short run, the results of a recent survey within the EMA staff emphasize the importance of the upcoming decision on the EMA’s future seat as the retention of skilled and experienced staff is crucial for the Agency’s continuity of operations. Click here.

As observed by the European Patient Forum, in the long run the choice of the location should be a well-known center of scientific research, capable to facilitate the involvement of patients and consumers.  Click here.