The European Commission said on Tuesday that twenty-three cities in the European Union have offered to host the two EU agencies currently located in Britain that will have to be relocated because of Britain’s exit from the bloc.
The EU has received a total of 27 proposals from its member states regarding 23 cities to host the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA), which will be relocated ahead of Britain’s exit in March 2019.
Cities such as Bonn, Dublin, Helsinki and Zagreb were among the 19 bids submitted to host the EMA.
The eight cities in the running to host the EBA included Brussels, Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Warsaw.
Hosting EU agencies is an economic and political boon for member states.
The EMA has around 890 employees and, with 36,000 visitors annually, it requires a daily peak hotel capacity of 350 rooms.
The EBA has a staff of about 200 people, and its visitors book 9,000 nights of hotel stays annually.
The European Commission will assess the applications based on a set of criteria during the next two months.
The criteria include: that the agencies can be up and running when Britain withdraws from the EU in March 2019 and that the location is easily accessible with frequent flight connections.
It included appropriate schooling and work opportunities for the children and spouses of EU staff.
Informed by the commission’s assessment, member states will make a decision through a series of votes.
A final decision on the relocations would be taken at a ministerial meeting in November. (dpa/NAN)