BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on the competition between EU countries to host agencies that must be relocated because of Brexit: (all times local):
5:05 p.m.
Danish representatives to the European Union say Milan, Amsterdam and Copenhagen have made it to the final three in the race to host the European Medicines Agency.
After a first round of balloting the group was whittled down to three finalists Milan and Amsterdam had been for long among the favorites, but the omission of Bratislava was a surprise.
The decision on the host will come later on Monday, as will the designation of the host city for the European Banking Authority.
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3:00 p.m.
European Union nations are making their last-moment pitches for who should get to host two key EU agencies that are due to leave Britain in 2019 because of Brexit.
EU ministers headed into several rounds of voting on Monday to decide where to move the London-based European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority.
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.”
The EMA is responsible for the evaluation, supervision and monitoring of medicines while the EBA monitors the banking sector.
