Members of the Committee on Development (DEVE) participate in the exchange of views with Jutta URPILAINEN, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, on the access to COVID-19 vaccines for developing countries. Statement from Tomas TOBÉ, chair of the Committee on Development (DEVE).

Brussels

exchange of views

meeting

Committee on Development

healthcare safety (T)

URPILAINEN, Jutta (FI, EC)

development and international cooperation (T)

TOBÉ, Tomas (EPP, SE)

Coronavirus outbreak (T)

vaccination strategy (T)

Access to COVID-19 vaccines for developing countries: extracts from the exchange of views with Jutta URPILAINEN, European Commissioner for International Partnerships in DEVE Committee

SOUNDBITE (English), Tomas TOB&#201; (EPP, SE), It is clear for everyone that no one is safe until we can get vaccines to everyone and the situation in the developing countries is already very worrisome. And that's why we need now to make sure that the access to vaccines must be available for everyone.

SOUNDBITE (English), Tomas TOB&#201; (EPP, SE), We need to make sure that the people that are at the highest risk are the ones who will get the vaccine first, the same as we're doing in Europe. But the problem we have now is that we can see that the vaccines are going to come so late to the developing countries, and that is, of course, a problem for the people in developing countries. But it's also a problem for everyone, because if we don't get everybody vaccinated quickly, this will be a problem for everyone. This is a global pandemic. This is not something that we can only solve in Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Tomas TOB&#201; (EPP, SE), We do hope that the speed will pick up. But there is what is called a COVAX, a global instrument that is working on getting access to vaccines and also for developing countries. And that is during this year. We're talking about getting vaccines also to developing countries this year. But of course, to have everybody vaccinated, then we're probably talking years at this speed.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jutta URPILAINEN, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Team Europe is amongst the largest contributors to COVAX, with more than eight hundred fifty million euros. It will secure one point three billion doses of vaccines for 90 to low and middle income countries by the end of this year.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jutta URPILAINEN, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, COVAX is ready to start delivering in the next weeks the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine to 18 countries, including 12 low and lower middle income countries, mostly in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jutta URPILAINEN, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, I also welcome the broad engagement by EU leaders to establish a common EU vaccine sharing mechanism. This will allow us to share part of the vaccines produced through our purchase agreements. It is also important to support our neighbourhood, low income countries, in particular Africa and humanitarian settings with emphasis on priority groups such as health workers.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jutta URPILAINEN, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, We will also engage better with civil society, the private sector and financial institutions and invest in regional collaboration. But it also includes the need to scale up local manufacturing and production capacity and build stronger pharmaceutical regulatory frameworks in Africa. The EU, in partnership with Germany is already helping developed local pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity in the south and part of the continent.