Dublin impressed by Bonn in post-Brexit bid to host European weather forecast center

IRELAND’S HOPES OF BECOMING A NEW EUROPEAN CENTER FOR WEATHER FORECASTING have been dashed when the city of Bonn was chosen.

The European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) has opted for the German city, noting that Bonn is “in the heart of Europe and very well connected.”

It means Bonn will see a new facility built between 2023 and 2025 that will feature a 16-story glass tower. Staff will begin working in the city in a temporary location starting next year.

Ireland had postulated to be the location of the new center with a government plan that would have seen it located in Cherrywood, Dublin and the creation of 250 jobs.

The ECMWF is not an arm of the EU, but is an independent intergovernmental organization that provides meteorological data to member states.

The organization was forced to make some changes due to Brexit and to open offices in new locations that are eligible for EU funding.

ECMWF will continue to be based in Reading, but this new center in Bonn joins another in Bologna, Italy, due to open in 2022.

The Bonn selection was made by a panel of representatives of the member states that did not participate in the tender.

The team noted that Bonn was home to “numerous UN agencies” and had a “clear strategic advantage” in being “within a radius of only a few hundred kilometers” from several other EU countries.

Ireland also lost in previous post-Brexit tenders to host the European Banking Authority and the European Medicines Agency.