On 3 April, Spain confirmed that it would like Barcelona to be the host city for the European Medicines Agency (EMA), once the United Kingdom has permanently left the European Union. This candidacy now means that around ten countries are interested in being host city for this agency.
The EMA was set up in 1995 to provide the scientific assessment, supervision and monitoring of the safety of medicines marketed in the EU. The Catalan government indicated in a press release that at that time, Barcelona had already expressed a wish to host the agency as part of the summer Olympic Games but was second choice after London.
The government argues that, “Barcelona already meets the EMA’s requirements in terms of connectivity, communications, transportation and infrastructure, and would also cater for the needs of the 890 professionals currently working for the agency and who are awaiting news from Brussels on their future”. highlights its significant pharmaceutical network and is obviously aware of the economic importance that this role would have: the EMA receives 40,000 visitors every year and there is a network of more than 1,600 companies that gravitate towards the organisation in different ways.
According to certain reports, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Slovakia, Poland, France, Hungary and Bulgaria are also interested but no public list exists at this stage. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)