The European Commission is still unable to tell Western Balkan countries when they can expect to receive the promised COVID-19 vaccines, MIA reports from Brussels.
EC spokespeople have reiterated President Ursula von der Leyen’s position that North Macedonia and the region will receive vaccines from the EU “as soon as possible.”
Confusion and tension in the EU regarding the vaccination strategy have reflected on distribution of aid promised to its closest neighbors – Western Balkan countries.
Despite the executive branch’s calls for solidarity with non-EU countries, the EU is yet to provide a vaccine delivery timeframe.
The COVAX facility, set to assist low and middle income countries procure shots, is not expected to become operational before the summer. Therefore the European Commission recently unveiled another “vaccine sharing mechanism” initiative, but is yet to provide a timeframe for its activities.
Anonymous European Commission sources have told MIA that EU members must first acquire enough doses for themselves before they can share, donate or resell them.
It seems that for the time being, the best option non-EU countries have is to sign bilateral agreements with EU members, some of which are more ready to share shots than others. Due to the different health policies of EU member states, the European Commission is still unable to coordinate the sharing initiative.
Non-EU countries can also sign deal directly with pharmaceutical companies or procure Chinese and Russian vaccines, which are still not authorized on the EU market.
A large number of non-EU countries are now turning towards India’s health institute which has a license to manufacture AstraZeneca shots for the African countries, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.
EC sources say that the institution hopes to establish in the upcoming period a functional mechanism with a single entry point and a way to deliver initial doses, but few believe that the system will become operational in the first half of 2021.
In the meantime, the European Union is facing turmoil due to the inefficient vaccination strategy, blunders in contracts with pharmaceutical companies and tensions between Ireland and Northern Ireland due to new export monitoring mechanism that contains an urgent clause, which if activated can lead to division and political crisis on the island.
