DUBLIN, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Ireland confirmed on Monday that it had withdrawn its bid for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in order to focus on its bid for the European Banking Authority (EBA).
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Ireland had two very strong bids for the EMA and the EBA, which are both currently based in London.
But Ireland pulled out of race to host the EMA, recognizing the political challenge of pursuing two bids concurrently, the statement said.
As a consequence of Brexit, the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is currently working on plans to move the EBA alongside with the EMA out of the United Kingdom, to keep it inside the EU.
Future homes for the EBA have been offered from Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Paris, Prague, Vienna and Warsaw.
The decision on the relocation of the agencies will be taken on Monday evening in a series of votes by the General Affairs Council, a configuration of the Council of the European Union.
