On behalf of the City of Milan, on the relocation to Amsterdam of the seat of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) 

The petitioner denounces the unlawfulness of the procedure followed for the selection of Amsterdam as the new seat of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The petitioner has also brought an action to the General Court to annul the Council decision of 20 November 2017 regarding the selection of the new seat of EMA following Brexit. In the petitioner’s view, choosing the new EMA seat by drawing lots is a misuse of powers. This would not lead to a transparent decision-making process on the basis of technical assessments and specific predetermined criteria. The petitioner complaints that it was impossible to properly assess the two applications of Milan and Amsterdam. The petitioner allege infringement of the principles of good administration and transparency. The petitioner stresses that the Netherlands had not provided fully accurate information concerning the availability of the premises for the EMA seat, whose business continuity could be jeopardized. The petitioner claim that the European Parliament’s prerogatives have not been properly respected, as the decisions on the EU agencies’ seats should be taken in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure. The petitioner calls for a timely intervention of the European Parliament to ensure the respect of EU law. The petitioner also requests to be heard before the European Parliament to provide new information regarding the issues at stake.