In September, MEPs openly criticised the opacity of the European procurement process for Covid-19 vaccines (see EUROPE 12793/11). On Thursday 21 October, they adopted a resolution formalising this position by 458 votes in favour, 149 votes against and 86 abstentions.
In particular, they denounce “the limitations to which Parliament has been subjected in its role as co-legislator” and regret that they have not been able to exercise effective control over the process of purchasing and distributing vaccines.
They therefore call on the Commission to make a future legislative proposal to proceed with the group purchase of vaccines and ask it to publish information on the negotiating teams and the unredacted versions of the purchase contracts already awarded.
They would also like information on how EU payments have been used by companies (see EUROPE 12803/8).
Finally, the Parliament returned to the issue of the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA - see EUROPE 12799/11).
The Commission’s “exclusion of Parliament from overseeing the work of the authority” is, according to MEPs, “another shortcoming that has undermined transparency and accountability for public spending and decision-making in the area of public health”.
To consult the text as adopted: https://bit.ly/3G727eE (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)