Relocation of the UK-based EU agencies
EU agencies move from London to Amsterdam and Paris
The two agencies currently based in the UK, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA), have to be relocated in the context of the UK's withdrawal from the EU. On 22 June 2017, in the margins of the European Council (Article 50), the EU27 leaders endorsed a specific procedure for the relocation of these agencies.
EU27 ministers voted on the relocation of the UK-based EU agencies in the margins of the General Affairs Council (Art. 50) meeting on 20 November 2017. The selected location of the EMA is Amsterdam, the Netherlands and the EBA is Paris, France.
The two founding regulations of both agencies had to be amended to reflect the new seats.
What EU agencies are currently based in the UK?
The European Union has two agencies established in the United Kingdom. Both are located in London.
European Medicines Agency
Founded in 1995, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines in the EU.
EMA is essential to the functioning of the single market for medicines in the EU.
Concretely, the main tasks of the EMA include:
- to facilitate development and access to medicines
- to evaluate applications for marketing authorisation
- to monitor the safety of medicines across their lifecycle
- to provide information to healthcare professionals and patients
European Banking Authority
The European Banking Authority (EBA) works to ensure effective and consistent prudential regulation and supervision across the European banking sector. Its overall objectives are:
- to maintain financial stability in the EU
- to safeguard the integrity, efficiency and orderly functioning of the banking sector
The main task of the EBA is to contribute to the creation of the European single rulebook in banking.
The Single rulebook aims to provide a single set of harmonised prudential rules for financial institutions throughout the EU. This is intended to create a level playing field and provide high protection to depositors, investors and consumers.
The EBA is also mandated to assess risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector through regular risk assessment reports and pan-European stress tests.
What were the steps of the procedure to select the new seats?
The procedure consisted of:
- offers by member states to host one or both of the agencies submitted by 31 July 2017
- an assessment of the offers by the Commission based on the agreed criteria published on 30 September 2017
- political discussion based on the Commission's assessment in the margins of the GAC (Art.50) meeting on 17 October 2017
- a voting procedure by the 27 member states in the margins of the GAC (Art. 50) meeting on 20 November 2017
Brexit: relocating UK-based EU agencies (infographic)
1. Offers to host the agencies
There were 8 offers to host the European Banking Authority and 19 offers to host the European Medicines Agency.
- Offers to host the European Banking Authority
- Offers to host the European Medicines Agency
- 23 cities offer to host UK-based EU agencies (press release, 01/08/2017)
2. Assessment criteria
On 22 June, 27 EU leaders agreed on 6 criteria:
- the assurance that the agency is operational when the UK leaves the EU
- accessibility of the location
- schools for the children of the agency staff
- access to the labour market and health care for employees' spouses and children
- business continuity
- geographical spread
On 30 September, the European Commission published the assessment of the offers based on the 6 criteria agreed by EU27.
3. Political discussion
EU27 ministers held a political discussion on the relocation of the two EU agencies in the margins of the General Affairs Council (Art. 50).
4. Vote
EU27 ministers voted on the relocation of the UK-based EU agencies in the margins of the General Affairs Council (Art. 50) meeting on 20 November 2017. The selected location of the EMA was Amsterdam, the Netherlands and of the EBA was Paris, France.
What was the process to amend the legal texts?
On 29 November 2017, the European Commission presented two legislative proposals to amend the founding regulations of both agencies to reflect the new seats. These regulations follow the ordinary legislative procedure which means they have to be agreed between the Council and the European Parliament. An agreement between the two institutions was reached in October 2018. The European Parliament voted to approve the text on 25 October 2018 and the Council approved the final adoption on 9 November 2018.