EU tribunal annuls 2011 election of EMA director Rasi

The European Union Civil Service Tribunal annulled EMA's 2011 appointment of Guido Rasi as its executive director based on an appeal of a procedural matter leading to his appointment. Deputy Executive Director Andreas Pott will assume leadership responsibilities on an interim basis while the European Commission and EMA seek legal advice and plan their next steps.

Emil Hristov, former director of the Bulgarian Drug Agency, had appealed EMA's decision not to include him on a short list of candidates for the Executive Director position. According to a court document, Hristov contended that the presence of two EMA board members on the screening committee that created the four-person short list constituted a conflict of interest, since two members of the board were applying for the position. Rasi was an EMA board member for three years prior to his election as executive director. ...