The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is preparing to shed a third of its staff after Brexit when it moves its offices in London to Amsterdam. This was confirmed by EMA’s press services in a press release announcing a new slowdown in activities before the autumn.
The EMA’s task is to assess, oversee and monitor the safety of medicines marketed in the EU. On 20 November last, the member states decided to relocate the EMA to Amsterdam (Netherlands) in view of the United Kingdom leaving the EU, programmed for 30 March 2019.
In this context, the EMA has said that it will launch its third phase of its business continuity plan on 1 October 2018 at the latest. This will allow it to safeguard core activities while it prepares for the move. This phase will also mean, for example, that EMA staff will only participate in Brexit-related conferences.
In its press release, the EMA pays particular attention to the risks of staff quitting the agency now that “it has become clear that the Agency will lose more personnel than initially predicted”. Out of the 908 people currently working in London, 84 have announced that they intend to move before the end of the year and these moves are expected to continue throughout 2019. Nonetheless, not all the members of the team will be moving and some have already begun to resign. The press release explains that this trend is expected to accelerate. In addition, due to the employment rules in the Netherlands, 135 short-term contract staff will no longer be able to work for EMA. “Overall, the EMA expects a staff loss of about 30%, with a high degree of uncertainty regarding mid-term staff retention”. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)