What The Newspapers Are Saying About The EMA Issue

The applications from potential host countries have been received and the ‘horse trading’ has begun.  The decision on the EMA issue will be made by November.  There is stiff competition from competing cities and many have made significant offers in an effort to ‘land’ the agency.

Here, we have compiled five of the most interesting articles of the hundreds that have been read by our expert staff on the issue.  These articles look at the contenders, the issues faced by some applicants and the vagaries associated with one particular application.

1. Contest to take EU agencies from London draws bids from 23 nations – Financial Times

The FT provides as comprehensive overview of the contenders for both the European Banking Agency and the EMA in the above linked article.

2. EU drugs agency cuts workload as prepares for Brexit disruption – Reuters

The EMA’s announcement in recent days that it had put into place its business continuity plans has been covered by Reuters.

3. Small EU states losing the spoils of Brexit – Cyprus Mail

The ability of smaller EU member states to compete effectively for the EMA has been discussed at length.  Cyprus is just one of many that feels that it should be treated ‘equally’ (their words).

4. Hosting the EMA: Who’s dead serious, who’s along for the ride – Politico Europe

Helen Collis and her team at Politico Europe have created an excellent overview of the competing states and some of the activities that they have (or have not) undertaken in their quest to win the right to host the EMA.  This detailed long read is well worth reading to get an understanding of which countries are applying because they really want to host the agency and which countries are applying in order to use their application as leverage for another potential victory.

5. Portuguese politics cripples Lisbon’s EU agency bid – Politico Europe

In one of the more bizarre aspects of the entire story, Portugal shifted its bid city from Lisbon to Porto with only a few weeks to go before applications closed.  Brian Cleary from Acorn Regulatory was interviewed for this piece and described the shift as being one motivated by the needs of local politics.

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