Regions & Cities: The EU Agencies Race
EUobserver's 2017 Regions & Cities magazine takes a closer look at EU agencies and the benefits for cities and regions to host them. The UK leaving the EU has prompted a scramble for the European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority among most of the remaining member states. But what makes a city competitive? Which cities stand a good chance to become the new hosts? And what do EU agencies bring to the local economy?
EUobserver's 2017 Regions & Cities magazine takes a closer look at EU agencies and the benefits for cities and regions to host them. The UK leaving the EU has prompted a scramble for the European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority among most of the remaining member states. But what makes a city competitive? Which cities stand a good chance to become the new hosts? And what do EU agencies bring to the local economy?
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FROM<br />
GAY RIGHTS<br />
TO GOLF COURSES<br />
<br />
<strong>The</strong> bids published by 21 member states<br />
in the race to host the two London-based<br />
<strong>EU</strong> agencies - the European Medicines<br />
Agency (EMA) and the European Banking<br />
Authority (EBA) - are very much reminiscent of<br />
the standard application letter.<br />
<strong>The</strong> authors have clearly looked at the six criteria<br />
agreed to by <strong>EU</strong> government leaders last June,<br />
and made sure that their bid ticked most of the<br />
boxes.<br />
If the bids were to be believed, virtually all of the<br />
European cities are well connected to all other<br />
capitals, can guarantee the agency's "business<br />
continuity", and offer healthcare and job<br />
opportunities for agency workers' spouses.<br />
Each contestant also threw in some extras,<br />
beyond the minimum criteria, by spotlighting the<br />
unique qualities inherent in their city or region, in<br />
the hope of persuading Europe to give them one<br />
or both of the agency seats.<br />
<strong>The</strong> features portrayed reveal parts of a city's<br />
self-image and give insight into what its officials<br />
think makes it competitive. Here are some<br />
examples.<br />
CULTURE<br />
<strong>The</strong> authors of the bids seem to think <strong>EU</strong><br />
agency staff prize culture.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Dutch, in their application, noted that<br />
Amsterdam hosts 207 Van Gogh paintings,<br />
whereas Frankfurt took a more general<br />
approach by boasting "over 4,000 paintings<br />
from the Middle Ages to the present". Vienna<br />
mentioned that it hosts "<strong>The</strong> Kiss" by artist<br />
Gustav Klimt, while Prague went as far as<br />
offering the staff of the EBA "unlimited free<br />
access" to dozens of museums.<br />
Photo:taimt ooe Art ProetPbiomai<br />
24 — REGIONS & CITIES OCTOBER 2017
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