Amsterdam picked to host EU medicines agency after Brexit
BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union's medicines agency is moving to Amsterdam from London once Britain's exit from the European Union is completed.
In a heated voting battle between the Dutch city and Milan, EU member nations gave Amsterdam the nod Monday ahead of Italy's industrial icon. Copenhagen finished third, ahead of Bratislava.
The European Medicines Agency has less than 17 months to complete the move, but Amsterdam was considered ideally suited because of its location, the building it had on offer and other facilities.
Some 890 top jobs will leave Britain with the agency, giving Amsterdam's economy a potential economic boost.
Even though rules were set up to make it a fair decision, the process has turned into a deeply political contest.
Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra said that "in the end it is a very strategic game of chess." He added that beyond bartering, "Every now and then in politics, I hope that content can be decisive."
For the Dutch it was.
The EMA is responsible for the evaluation, supervision and monitoring of medicines.