The European Medicines Agency's (EMA) relocation to Amsterdam for its headquarters has hit a snag: The building won't be ready in time, according to Executive Director Guido Rasi.
In November, the EMA decided to move its headquarters from London to Amsterdam due to the U.K.'s withdrawal from the European Union (EU). The move must be completed by 30 March 2019 when Brexit goes into effect. However, the EMA's new building won't be ready by then, forcing the EMA into temporary premises.
The double transfer forces the EMA to invest more resources and means it will take longer before the agency can return to normal operations after the move. In addition to the delay, the EMA will only have half the space compared with its current premises in London.
"While we will also have to use external meeting facilities, we will at least be able to host our core scientific meetings in the temporary building," Rasi noted in a statement. "This solution may be less disruptive to our work and will also allow the constructors to speed up the completion of the permanent building in Zuidas."
He emphasized that, although the situation isn't ideal, the temporary premises are the best option under the current time restrictions.
