The Dutch state has bought the building where the European Medicines Agency will be housed temporarily after its move from London post-Brexit.

The state originally planned to lease the Sparkgebouw building for 10 years from owner OVG Real Estate, but buying the property has turned out to be cheaper, ‘particularly in the long term’ according to the home affairs ministry.

The building, next to the Sloterdijk train station, has cost the state almost €43m. The ministry did not say what the leasing costs would have been.

The permanent EMA building is under construction in Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district and will be completed in November 2019, several months after the EMA moves its operations.