EMA delegation visits Milan (2)

(ANSA) - Milan, May 18 - 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.