Brussels, 23/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - On the sidelines of the Health Council meeting in Luxembourg on Friday 20 June, ministers from several member states officially signed up to the joint procurement agreement for pandemic vaccines and other medical countermeasures and nine member states signed a letter expressing their intention to sign the agreement. The aim of the agreement is to ensure that member states can provide pandemic vaccines and medicines in sufficient quantities and at a reasonable price if cross-border pandemic threats emerge. This agreement will help tackle speculation, according to Commissioner for Health Tonio Borg. In 2009, the H1N1 flu pandemic exposed failings at various levels with regard to vaccine management, as well as a shortage of serum in certain member states. The commissioner was pleased to point out that “23 member states have signed the agreement or signed a letter of intention to sign and the majority of the other member states will be able to sign very soon, I'm sure”. The number of signatures required for the agreement to enter into force has been reached (at least a third of the 28 member states) and it will be effective as from September, with the establishment of the steering committee to discuss the first vaccines that could be jointly procured. (IL)