Latvia and multiple other EU member states have sent an official request to the European Commission to review conditions of contracts signed with Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to make them more flexible and allow member states receives vaccines in accordance to their needs.
Contract with vaccine manufacturers was originally signed by the European Commission on behalf of member states. Those contracts state that every member state is to procure the previously ordered volume of vaccines despite the fact that the need for vaccines has gone down due to expansive vaccination efforts. Currently those contracts do not provide the option to refuse vaccine doses without financial consequences. In the event of refusal, member states will still be required to pay for all ordered vaccine doses. Even redistribution of vaccine doses requires amendments to contracts and conditions.
Currently most EU countries have a major surplus of vaccine doses that will soon have to be disposed of due to expiration term coming up, the letter mentions. Member states remind that this will cause financial consequences and losses.
Latvia and other countries stress that initial decisions regarding required vaccine volumes were made in a situation in which it was not possible to predict the development of the pandemic.
The situation has changed and a long-term solution is needed to ensure countries do not end up in a situation in which they are forced to procure vaccines only to dispose of them later.
Multiple EU member states want the EC to discuss and accomplish the following with vaccine manufacturers: extend the vaccine supply term; ensure supplies are provided in accordance with the real situation; vaccine manufacturing volumes are adapted to the rate at which the pandemic spreads – if infection rates go down, production volumes are to go down as well; supplied vaccines are effective against new variants of the virus.
At the same time, the letter stresses that the EU should remain on high alert since the spread of the pandemic is on a rise. Member states request a mechanism to be created to help put together European-level stores so that vaccines are available to all member states if an emergency appears.
European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides received the letter signed by: Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia.
A surplus of vaccines is present across all of Europe. Latvia has fewer vaccine doses per capita than average in the EU. Countries are forced to dispose of vaccines close to their expiration date. Remaining vaccines are donated to other countries. To promote global vaccination and support less wealthy countries in efforts to overcome Covid-19 crisis, European countries have decided to promote sharing of vaccines. Latvia has already donated more than two million vaccine doses.