Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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189. To ask the Minister for Health the role his Department had in Ireland's bid for the European Medicines Agency and his engagements with other European leaders on Ireland's bid. [50203/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In October 2016, the Government decided to promote Dublin as the new location for the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The Irish offer was developed by a cross-sectoral working group led by my Department, with colleagues from the Department of the Taoiseach and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as representatives from the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), IDA Ireland and other Government departments and agencies. Our bid was officially submitted to the European Council and the European Commission on 31 July 2017.

Officials in my Department also worked closely with colleagues in the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the strategy and campaign to promote the bid and demonstrate why Dublin represented a suitable location for the EMA.

During the course of the campaign, government colleagues, Department officials, and I engaged with representatives from nearly all EU Member States. These engagements included bilaterals with health ministers across the Member States, discussions between officials at departmental level and briefings for various cross-sectoral stakeholders.

On 19 November 2017, Ireland's Permanent Representative to the European Union confirmed that Ireland was withdrawing its bid for the EMA in order to focus on the offer for the European Banking Authority, recognising the political challenge of pursuing two bids concurrently. The decision on the relocation of both agencies was taken by the General Affairs Council on 20 November, with Amsterdam being selected as the new home for the EMA.