Leaders of Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Greece have forwarded a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday asking her to continue dialogue with COVID-19 vaccine producers to ensure a timely supply of the volume of vaccine contracted
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th February, 2021) Leaders of Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Greece have forwarded a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday asking her to continue dialogue with COVID-19 vaccine producers to ensure a timely supply of the volume of vaccine contracted.
The letter was signed by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
"We are very pleased that there is now a united, strong pressure on the vaccine producers. A special thanks to you for your personal engagement and for sending such a strong message to Astra-Zeneca about their unacceptable behavior. It seems they now understand the gravity of the situation," the letter read.
Citing their previous experience with chronically-delayed supplies, the four leaders proposed that early talks be arranged with developers of upcoming vaccines to avoid the same issues and secure the supply for Europe. The letter specifically mentions the one-dose candidate vaccine by Johnson & Johnson.
"In view of the importance attached to these issues, we would encourage an early dialogue at the highest levels. Time is of the essence. Therefore, we need to keep up the speed in contract negotiations with all new promising candidates," the letter read.
The four leaders also welcomed the Commission's consent in principle, to a pre-authorized distribution of vaccines.
The EU drug regulator has so far only authorized COVID-19 vaccines by three producers UK company AstraZeneca, US-German duo Pfizer/BioNTech, and US company Moderna. All three have delayed the European supplies beyond the contracted schedule, prompting the European Union to adopt extra administrative regulations, such as mandating the European-based manufacturers to request authorization before exporting to third countries.
