EMA management board updated on post-Brexit move and ongoing programs

The European Medicines Agency’s deputy executive director Noël Wathion told the management board December meeting that the EMA’s temporary premises in Amsterdam are on track to be fully operational on January 1, 2019 to allow for final preparations for its move to the city post-Brexit. Work on the permanent premises is also progressing as planned and should be completed by mid-November 2019.

Since the last management board meeting in October, the Agency has continued to closely monitor staff’s intention to relocate to Amsterdam and shared a more robust forecast with the board. Overall the Agency expects to lose around 25% of its overall workforce. These projections should allow the EMA to gradually resume temporarily suspended and reduced activities as of July 2019. However, the first half of the year will see a further temporary reduction of activities also because the Agency moves into the final phase of its physical relocation. All core activities related to the evaluation and supervision of medicines are expected to continue without any interruption or delays foreseen and to the same quality.

Annual work program for 2019 and budget