The European Medicines Agency is preparing for a court battle with Canary Wharf, its landlord, this week as it fights to get out of a £500m office lease.
The medicines regulator, which is being moved to Amsterdam after Brexit, argues that because Britain’s decision to leave the European Union was an unforeseen event, it should be able to exit the 25-year agreement it signed with Canary Wharf Group for ten floors of office space starting in 2014.
Canary Wharf Group, owner of the financial district, disputes the claim. Its lawyers have warned that a ruling in favour of the agency could allow other institutions to abandon their leases after Brexit, posing a significant threat to the British property industry.
