Discussions are underway ahead of the 25-26 March EU summit to modify the distribution mechanism for the advance delivery of Covid-19 vaccine doses from Pfizer-BioNTech (see EUROPE 12679/1).
According to the Financial Times, the EU is considering allocating part of this envelope (30%) to the Member States most affected by the virus, rather than distributing it in proportion to the population of the Member States.
According to the British newspaper, this solution is widely supported by Germany. But it is strongly opposed by Austria. In mid-March, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz criticised the EU’s advance purchase mechanism for vaccines, saying the distribution of doses was uneven (see EUROPE 12677/23). He co-signed a letter to the European Commission and brought this message to a discussion with European Council President Charles Michel last week (see EUROPE 12680/2).
According to the British newspaper’s calculations, as it stands, the new distribution mechanism would benefit other co-signatories of the letter (such as Bulgaria, Croatia and Latvia) as well as Estonia, but not Austria.
Consultations are expected to continue until the EU leaders’ video conference at the end of the week. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)