Deputy PM for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov held a meeting on Friday morning with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi and Western Balkan colleagues, during which they discussed readiness to procure COVID-19 shots and plans to vaccinate priority groups.
Várhelyi, the Secretariat for European Affairs said in a press release, informed meeting participants that the European Commission is making efforts to distribute coronavirus vaccines in the Western Balkans at the same time as in EU member states.
“He underlined the specific needs of each country in the region, adding that the European Union is also set to offer them financial support,” the press release read.
Deputy PM Dimitrov stressed the initiative’s importance amid procurement of vaccines.
“The fact that these will be the first batch of vaccines available in North Macedonia sends a clear message that the Western Balkans are an essential part of EU solidarity policies,” Dimitrov noted.
He underlined that North Macedonia is actively working on setting up a vaccination plan based on EU recommendations and criteria defining priority groups.
“We’re finalizing analysis of priority groups to estimate the amount of citizens that will get tested first and will share the plan EU Commissioner Várhelyi in coming days,” Dimitrov added.
Deputy PM Dimitrov, the press release concluded, briefed Commissioner Várhelyi on the readiness of North Macedonia’s health system to carry out coronavirus vaccination.
