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The Romanian Government has filed a bid for the relocation of the European Medicines Agency to Bucharest in the context of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the Union European.
"The filing of the bid is mission accomplished at the current stage of the procedures for the relocation of the European Medicines Agency's headquarters. I believe in Romania's chance to qualify for this selection because we have substantial expertise in the medical sector. Information in our bid is evidence in support of our arguments that Romania is ready to take on such a responsibility," Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose is quoted as saying in a press statement on Monday.
The bid is said to have been prepared by an interdepartmental working group, including the General Secretariat of the Government, the Ministry of Health, the National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices, the minister-delegate for European affairs, the Ministry of Public Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the statement, "the location proposed by Romania is on the northern side of Bucharest, right behind the Pipera metro station".
"The European Medicines Agency would be housed in a new building, of an approximate area of 27,000 square metres, complete with a conference centre that can accommodate 720 participants and an excellent IT & C infrastructure," the Government says.
The Government points out that the European Medicines Agency, one of the largest and most important European agencies, is currently based in London and is a decentralised body of the European Union which primary responsibility is to protect and promote public health through its assessment and supervision of medicinal products for human use.
"The European Commission will examine the bids and submit its own assessment to the General Secretariat of the Council by September 1, 2017, with the final decision expected on the side-lines of the General Affairs Council meeting of November 2017. The decision would be made on the basis of successive rounds of voting, with each member state having an equal number of votes. The member state to be selected for hosting the European Medicines Agency will no longer be able to apply for the relocation of the European Banking Authority," according to the same statement.
In supporting Romania's bid, the Government pointed out that "Romania has a consistent medical expertise, being in the top percentile of medical school graduates, and since 2007 14,000 Romanian medicine and pharmacy specialists have been working in other member states of the European Union ".
"There are also numerous institutions in Bucharest, including laboratories and pharmaceutical companies (the Cantacuzino National Research Institute, the Ana Aslan National Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, the Victor Babes National Institute, the Prof Dr. N. Paulescu National Institute of Diabetes Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases) aiming to manage the major effects of emergencies that may affect the national healthcare system," according to the Government.
