The relocation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) when the United Kingdom leaves the EU is still not a done deal.
London is hoping to keep possession of these two bodies or, at the very least, to make them into bargaining chips in the forthcoming Brexit talks, according to the Financial Times.
The European Commission has lost no time in attempting to dampen the British ardour. “The agencies in question must be based on the territory of the EU; the UK is to leave the EU and will not have any say in their future location”, Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas said on Wednesday 19 April. The decision will be made by the EU27, he added, and will not be part of the negotiations on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU. One question that will, on the other hand, feature will be the UK's duty to facilitate the move and reduce the practical and financial burden of the officials concerned.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which was set up in 1995 to oversee scientific assessments, supervision and the monitoring of the safety of all medicines sold in the EU, carries considerable economic weight. It employs around 800 people of all EU nationalities (except Luxembourg and Malta), receives 36,000 visitors every year and around 1,600 other businesses have gravitated to the area around its offices.
Despite repeated requests, the Commission declines to comment on the member states that have formally applied to host the new EMA offices after Brexit.
The EMA stresses that it does not hold such a list either, although it has had approaches from 21 member states believed to have expressed an interest: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.
Up for discussion at EU27 summit in late April
The Heads of State or Government of the EU27 will discuss the agencies based in London at their extraordinary meeting on Saturday 29 April. They will take as their basis a raft of criteria devised by the Commission on the basis of the 2012 regulation on agencies.
The Commission notes that the European leaders will take account of a range of new technical issues due to the withdrawal of the UK, which are expected to include accessibility, access to training for staff, etc.
An EMA representative stressed that its main criteria are related to connections, transport links (international, regional and local), a building capable of hosting a large number of meetings and hotels able to accommodate their participants. The team requires other factors such as appropriate accommodation, access to European/international schools and job opportunities for spouses and partners.
According to our information, practically all of the member states would seem to be interested in playing host to the EBA.
This question is more specific, as it also comes within a broader context of redefining the architecture of the various European supervisory authorities (along with the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, EIOPA, and the European Securities and Markets Authority, ESMA).
Rumours abound that the EBA will join the EIOPA in Frankfurt. In this scenario, the two would merge, according to several European sources. The Commission, which is currently carrying out a public consultation (see EUROPE 11751), claims that it has yet to decide on its position.
More generally, the Commission's role in relocating the London-based agencies will be to provide the members with the information they need to make the best possible political decision. It will also make itself available to help evaluate the bids of the various member states, if needed.
According to one civil servant quoted by the British press, however, there is little chance of the 27 member states making a decision before June 2017. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean & Elodie Lamer)