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It wasn’t Eurovision, foreign minister told as he blames Swedes for losing EMA vote
Ben Hamilton
November 21st, 2017
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Anders Samuelsen contends that Sweden’s decision to not back Denmark’s bid for the European Medicines Agency let down the whole of the Nordic region, and most particularly Malmö
Let down by Stockholm apparently
Copenhagen failed by a considerable margin to make its way into the final ballot of voting for the right to host the European Medicines Agency yesterday in Brussels.
READ MORE: Copenhagen misses out on European Medicines Agency to Amsterdam
Milan received 12 votes, Amsterdam nine and Copenhagen just five in what was a secret ballot.
However, the foreign minister, Anders Samuelsen, appeared to have inside information and he fired a broadside at the Swedes for not backing the Danish bid, even though their vote – which went to Milan – would not have changed the result.
Letting down Malmö
“I’m somewhat disappointed with the Swedes. It is not normal what has happened here,” said Samuelsen, who insisted that Sweden had not only failed its neighbour, but also the whole of the Nordic region.
Sweden’s third biggest city Malmö would have benefited to the tune of 900 new jobs, according to the minister. “I’d hate to think what they’re thinking in Malmö right now,” he added.
Samuelsen even went as far as saying that the Swedes let down the Dutch by sticking with Milan in the decisive vote, which was split evenly 13-13 and had to be decided by lots.
In disagreement
The Swedish EU minister, Ann Linde, brushed off Samuelsen’s concerns.
“Copenhagen would of course have been better for Copenhagen and Denmark,” she said. “But I hope that we will have good and constructive co-operation throughout the Nordic region.”
Holger K Nielsen (SF), a former Danish foreign minister, was unimpressed by Samuelsen’s comments, contending that it “shows he is a bad loser”.
“It is not the Eurovision Song Contest,” he told DR.
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