Meeting in Brussels on Tuesday 25 May, the European Union’s Heads of State or Government took stock of the health situation, including the progress of vaccination against Covid-19 in the EU and globally (see EUROPE 12724/2). In just over 2 hours, the discussion was closed and the conclusions on the subject adopted.
The latter first and foremost welcome the increased pace of vaccination in the EU and call for it to be maintained.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen assured that the EU would play its part: by the end of the week, more than 300 million doses of vaccine will have been delivered to Member States and more than 400 million are expected to be delivered in June, she said after the meeting.
“So we are on track to reach our goal to have enough doses being delivered to vaccinate 70% of the adult population in the EU by the end of July”, she said.
Variants. But several unknowns remain, forcing leaders to be “cautiously optimistic” at this stage, said European Council President Charles Michel.
The conclusions adopted by the leaders therefore call for vigilance, particularly with regard to SARS-CoV-2 variants, and for “the necessary measures” to be taken to contain the spread of these variants. Some delegations have also called for a more rapid and coordinated response in this regard.
The President of the Commission recalled that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was closely monitoring the spread of the variants at European level (see EUROPE 12713/14) and called for this monitoring to be extended internationally.
The effectiveness of currently available vaccines against the variants was also discussed. Ms von der Leyen suggested that the EU should ensure that it is able to adapt these vaccines and “re-immunise” a whole section of its population, although so far the four vaccines seem to have proved their worth against the variants.
Vaccination of minors. There are two other unknowns regarding vaccination: after what period of time should the booster shots be given? And will minors also have to be vaccinated?
On this point, only the Pfizer/BioNTech group has submitted an application to the European Medicines Agency to extend the authorisation of its vaccine for young people (see EUROPE 12710/21).
Whatever the answers to these questions, the EU will be able to adapt, Ms von der Leyen assured, recalling that a new contract had been concluded with Pfizer/BioNTech, guaranteeing the EU a delivery of 900 million doses per year by 2023 (see EUROPE 12723/3).
Internationally, a minimum of 100 million doses will be shared by the end of 2021. On the international front, leaders reiterated that the impact of the pandemic can only be contained through a global and comprehensive response. They endorsed the European Commission’s offer at the World Health Summit in Rome to share at least 20 million doses of vaccine by the end of the year with low and middle income countries (see EUROPE 12724/5).
Indeed, the European Council conclusions stress the importance of intensifying efforts to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines worldwide and support the leading role of the Covax Facility in achieving this goal.
“We have formally decided on this ambition to put in place a mechanism to allow for the donation of at least 100 million doses before the end of the year, and the first announcements from the Member States show that we will most certainly exceed this capacity”, said Mr Michel.
He recalled that, on average, 50% of the doses produced in the EU had so far been exported each month to more than 40 countries, a situation which makes the EU the largest exporter of vaccines, as the conclusions also point out.
Support for local production capacity. Mr Michel also expressed the support of the EU27 “for the work carried out by the Italian Presidency of the G20, with the commitment of the European Commission, and in particular the initiative to mobilise financial capacities to promote the possibility of increasing production capacities in the pharmaceutical sector, including vaccine production, on the African continent” (see other news).
Indeed, the conclusions record the European Council’s commitment to contribute to the development of local manufacturing capacity, in line with the Rome Declaration.
“Particular attention must also be paid to Latin America”, Mr Michel said. The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, also mentioned his country’s donation of 7.5 million doses of vaccine to the Latin American continent, where the pandemic is once again rampant. He mentioned a letter sent with his Belgian, Danish, and Swedish counterparts in favour of “permanent mechanism” for donating vaccines to countries in need.
Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed that Germany alone will share 30 million doses.
Italy will provide 15 million doses. “The vaccination situation in poor countries continues to be critical”, said Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. He said it was all the more “crucial to share doses” as the Serum Institute of India, Covax’s main supplier of AstraZeneca vaccines, is closed until the end of 2021.
The Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander de Croo, spoke of Belgium donating 4 million doses in 2021, but with two conditions: “that the deliveries of vaccines continue and that the progress of immunisation continues in the way it is planned”.
See the European Council conclusions: https://bit.ly/3wvdveK (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki and Aminata Niang with the editorial staff)