Italy challenges EMA's relocation from UK to the Netherlands

Rome: Italy is appealing a decision that awarded the European Medicines Agency to Amsterdam after it was forced to leave London ahead of the UK's planned withdrawal from the European Union on March 29, Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi said in a statement on Wednesday.

Italy's northern city of Milan lost its bid for the EMA in November, when a tied vote among 27 EU ministers forced the winner to be chosen by drawing lots - a decision which the Italian government wants the European Court of Justice to revoke. 

The appeal lodged with the ECJ "confirms Italy's resolve to submit to a dutiful jurisdictional scrutiny the legitimacy of the procedures followed in deciding the new EMA headquarters, in light of the fact that the candidacy of the city of Milan offered all the immediate guarantees necessary to assure the operating continuity of an EU Agency like EMA, which is key to safeguarding the health of the citizens of the EU," the foreign ministry statement said. 

EMA, which employs around 900 people, is a key element in the continent's healthcare industry.