BUCHAREST, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The Romanian government has filed a bid for the relocation of the European Medicines Agency to Bucharest in the context of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, Prime Minister Mihai Tudose said on Monday.
"I believe in Romania's chance to qualify for this selection because we have substantial expertise in the medical sector," stressed the prime minister in a press statement.
According to the statement, the agency would be housed in a new building of some 27,000 square metres, complete with a conference center that can accommodate 720 participants and an excellent IT & C infrastructure, on the northern part of Bucharest.
The European Medicines Agency, one of the largest and most important European agencies, is currently based in London and is a decentralised body of the European Union with primary responsibility of protecting and promoting public health through its assessment and supervision of medicinal products for human use.
In supporting its bid, the Romanian government pointed out that the country "has a consistent medical expertise, being in the top percentile of medical school graduates," and "there are also numerous institutions in Bucharest, including laboratories and pharmaceutical companies."
The final decision is expected to be made on the sidelines of the General Affairs Council meeting of November 2017, on the basis of successive rounds of voting, with each member state having an equal number of votes.
