The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has initiated a building approval process for its new headquarters in Amsterdam.
The agency must be fully operational in the Netherlands by 30 March 2019, when the U.K. withdraws from the European Union, whether or not the new facility is complete.
At a meeting held in Lisbon, Portugal, on 28 February, the EMA management board voted to accept an offer from the Dutch government for a new building in Amsterdam's Zuidas business district that will be ready by 15 November 2019. It also authorized notifying the EU's Budgetary Authority of its intention to move there, which is required by the EMA's financial regulation.
Upon notification, the Budgetary Authority is expected to provide an opinion within four weeks, the EMA said.
