Foreign Policies

Slovakia's Bid for Hosting EMA Meets All Criteria

Bratislava, October 2 (TASR) – In its bid to host the headquarters of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Slovaka has met all the required criteria in the European Commission’s (EC) evaluation, TASR learnt from the Health Ministry on Monday.

The EMA is due to be moved out of London after Brexit.The EMA is due to be moved out of London after Brexit.

As many as 19 EU-member states have applied for hosting the seat of the EMA. The EC has published their ratings on its website. The bids of individual countries were analysed according to six main criteria and six technical requirements.

“Bratislava has scored really well,” said Health Minister Tomas Drucker (a Smer-SD nominee), praising the work of the entire preparatory team.

The EC hasn’t yet drawn up a shortlist of the candidates, nor did it make any recommendations. It stressed, however, that the decision on the agency’s new seat is entirely in the power of the EU-member states.

Among the criteria evaluated by the EC were, for example, premises, location, transport availability, schools, social and health care possibilities as well as measures ensuring the continuity in the EMA’s activities. The EU leaders are set to discuss the EC’s stance at a summit in October. The final decision on the EMA’s relocation is expected in November.

A decentralised EU body, the EMA is tasked with approving new drugs and carrying out continuous supervision of drug safety. It also plays an important role in supporting innovations and research in the pharmaceuticals industry. It currently employs 900 highly qualified experts from across Europe. Slovakia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia and Romania aren’t hosting any European agencies at the moment.

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