Moldova has become the 38th country to sign the Joint Procurement Agreement in the area of health, during an official visit to Chisinau by European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides, announced the European Commission on Tuesday 9 July.
Moldova is now the 6th EU candidate country to join the Agreement.
The Joint Procurement Agreement enables participating countries to join forces in the face of a serious health threat and jointly purchase essential supplies, such as medicines and medical equipment.
For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, this Agreement enabled participating countries to acquire personal protective equipment, needles and syringes for vaccination, ventilators and medicines.
Participation in the Agreement enables a country to benefit from the combined purchasing power of the EU Member States and participating countries, providing better access and greater security of supply in the event of a health emergency. The Agreement improves the preparedness of participating countries for serious cross-border diseases by putting in place contracts for essential medical countermeasures before major outbreaks occur (see EUROPE 13429/16). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)