A delegation from the European
Medicines Agency (EMA) on Thursday visited Milan to assess its
credentials to host the agency when it moves from London after
Brexit.
The delegation left without meeting the press but the
government's envoy for the bid, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, said the
Milan bid was "high quality".
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said "we are doing all we can to
win" while Lombardy Governor Roberto Maroni said the new offices
in the iconic Pirelli skyscraper "can be ready by April 2019".
The EMA delegation inspected the skyscraper.
Moavero was named last month by Italian Premier Paolo
Gentiloni as his new advisor to promote the transfer to Milan of
the London-based EMA once Brexit is complete.
Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano told a forum on post-Brexit
opportunities at Bloomberg in London in March that Milan is
ready to host the EMA as well as "whole business districts" that
may move from from London.
Milan is "more than ready" to host the EMA after its move
from London in one of the major opportunities opened up by
Brexit, Alfano stressed.
He said the competition "will be very tough because there are
at least a dozen big EU cities in the running, but we are
fighting to get it for Milan".
The EMA, which controls pharmaceuticals standards and norms
across Europe, has been in London for 20 years.
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