Moving EU agency can take a long time

brussels - The relocation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) from London to the European Continent can be a pricy issue. According to a report by the European Parliament, the lease contract runs until 2039 and there is no cancellation clause. The rental costs up to that time are estimated at almost 350 million euros, with 'single concern' being noted.

The European Commission wants the United Kingdom to bear the costs associated with the British departure from the EU. Whether that will be the case is part of the negotiations that begin this summer.

About twenty Member States want to lure the drug agency to their country, according to initiates. The Netherlands presented the Amsterdam area as a candidate last week. With the institution with an annual budget of around 300 million euros, about nine hundred people work.

PVV-European parliamentary Olaf Stuger speaks of a 'greatest order stupidity'. 'Every well-known person knows that you must not enter into a 30-year lease obligation without cancellation clause. ''