EMA left its London premises on March 1, and following a transitional week of teleworking, its staff will gradually move throughout this week into the Spark building in Amsterdam Sloterdijk.
The Agency has been working hard, in close cooperation with the Dutch authorities, to ensure these temporary premises would be ready to move into before March 30, when EMA’s seat formally changes from London to Amsterdam. EMA will operate out of the Spark building until its final, tailor-made premises in Amsterdam Zuidas become available.
To facilitate the relocation and taking into account staff members’ personal situations, some flexibility has been applied in terms of individual relocation dates, for example to accommodate schooling, spouse employment, or housing situations. EMA staff members started to relocate to the Netherlands in summer 2018, and have continued doing so gradually since then.
With the physical move of the Agency now underway, this trend has accelerated. By Monday March 18, when EMA will be settled in the Spark building, close to 350 staff members will have already relocated to the Netherlands. A number of EMA staff will telework from London to allow them and their families a smooth transition to Amsterdam in the second half of 2019. Overall, EMA still anticipates losing approximately 25% of its total workforce (of around 900 staff members).
EMA appreciates the efforts of the Dutch authorities in facilitating the timely relocation of the Agency and is looking forward to settling in and getting to know its new host city of Amsterdam.
