Brussels, 29/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - During the informal health ministers meeting in Athens on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 April, European Commissioner for Health Tonio Borg told the delegations about the public procurement agreement for the joint purchase of vaccines, which was adopted by the European Commission on 10 April. This agreement will be put to the ministers for signature in June during the formal session of the Health Council - a signature which will be given on a voluntary basis, Borg stressed. “I am sure that on 20 May we will have a vast majority of member states who will sign this agreement on a voluntary basis. We will talk to those who have problems [in signing it]”, Borg said. The Commission is indeed ready to discuss problems of a legal nature which would prevent certain states from subscribing to the agreement.
The joint procurement agreement for vaccines will ensure that the member states have sufficient quantities of medicines and vaccines and at a fair price should there be a cross-border health threat. The mechanism will benefit all countries in the EU - particularly those that encountered problems in 2009 of obtaining vaccines developed for the pandemic of the H1N1 virus. Thus far, 27 EU member states have said they intend to sign the agreement - which will enter into force two weeks after it has been signed by at least a third of the participating member states (10 countries) and by the Commission. (IL)