The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted by analogy a European Commission decision that increases daily subsistence allowances and hotel expense reimbursement ceilings for staff travelling on missions outside the European territory of EU member states. The EMA Management Board, at its meeting of 10-11 June 2026, formally decided to apply Commission Decision C(2026) 634 final of 5 February 2026, which amends the earlier Decision C(2002) 98. The new rates, already applied by EMA for missions to the UK following a Commission notification on 13 February 2026, are now extended to all non-EU destinations.
The decision, documented in EMA/MB/71642/2026 and dated 11 June 2026, follows a Commission notification of 6 March 2026 confirming that the February decision falls under Article 110(2) of the Staff Regulations, which allows EU agencies to adopt Commission rules by analogy. The EMA Management Board, chaired by Rui Santos Ivo, consulted the Staff Committee before adopting the measure. The annex to the decision includes the full text of the Commission's amended rates, which are designed to reflect changes in travel costs outside the EU.
For EMA staff, the change means higher per-diem payments and hotel reimbursements for official travel to countries such as the United States, China, or India, where costs have risen. The adjustment is expected to have a moderate positive impact on staff on mission, ensuring that out-of-pocket expenses are better covered. For the EMA budget, the increase will raise travel expenditure, potentially requiring reallocation of funds from other administrative areas. The decision does not affect missions within the EU, which remain governed by separate rules. No further institutional follow-up is required, as the adoption by analogy makes the Commission decision directly applicable to EMA.