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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?

INTERNET ACCESS Today,

INTERNET ACCESS Today, being able to go online is almost a basic human right. Amsterdam, in its bid, claimed to offer "ultra-highspeed connectivity with an average peak load of over 3 Terabytes per second" and highlighted that they are a "frontrunner in mobile connectivity with a coverage of 98% for 4G network". GAY RIGHTS mention that their candidate city is welcoming to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) community. "Most Maltese are welcoming to all, and the gay community is thriving," one bid said, while another noted that Milan offers "free counselling, practical assistance, legal assistance and information on local LGBTQI associations". Vienna's bid to host the EMA contained several paragraphs devoted to the issue, while the same city's bid to host the EBA did not. Austrian health minister Pamela Rendi-Wagner, who defended the EMA bid, explained to EUobserver that her sensitivity to the LGBTIQ community she has. "But the city is the same, I can guarantee it," she hastened to say. Photo: t a e o SAFETY Many of the bids also emphasised public safety. Some even mention terrorism. The website summarising Bucharest's bid - "one of the safest Romania's low terrorist alert level ("Blue-Caution"). Citing the US State Department, Poland's bid noted that the country has "no indigenous terrorism" and that "no known terrorist all accounts, the city is a safe and appealing place to live and work compared to many other European capitals," it said of Warsaw. 26 — REGIONS & CITIES OCTOBER 2017

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT SECTOR IN EUROPE 40 BN € REVENUES 300 000 OVERALL EMPLOYMENT 1 200 COMPANIES 20% SHARE OF GLOBAL PRODUCTION 26 BN € EXPORT MOST COMPANIES ARE SMES 22% 39% 11% 16% 11% 1 BN € www.cece.eu Source : McKinsey 2016

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