Romanian MEP Requests EC to Suspend Contracts for Acquisition of Anti-Covid Vaccines

MEP Victor Negrescu requests the European Commission to suspend or change contracts for vaccines administered by the government in the context where dozes are not being used and the associated costs, in the millions of euros, are being covered by the state budget.

The EP member condemns the former Romania Government’s incapacity to seek assistance without considering millions of expired doses.

Some European nations, like Romania, have contracted millions of doses without coverage and are left with considerable stocks, putting vaccines in danger of expiring rather than reaching potential beneficiaries. In fact, at the beginning of 2022, Romania had to destroy almost a million vaccine doses of AstraZeneca after they got their expiration date, losing a large sum of money on undistributed vaccine doses.

In this context, I believe that it is necessary to suspend or amend these contracts irresponsibly signed by certain politicians, such as those in Romania, worth millions of euros, so that the budgets of those countries are not affected, and the vaccine doses are reach out to those who need it most. I, therefore, ask the European Commission for a point of view on the possibility of suspending or amending these contracts, details of the steps that the European institutions intend to take to ensure that these requests from national politicians have not been made to the detriment of the financial interest of European citizens and a proposal for measures to prevent such situations.

Victor Negrescu, Romanian MEP

The partial modification of contracts will allow Romania access to vaccine doses, including a booster for a more effective population immunization. Still, it will provide Romania with a flow of doses appropriate to the need without reaching the situation of the destruction of significant amounts of vaccine and the unnecessary payment of millions of euros.

The same public position against the country’s further purchase of more vaccine doses is also expressed by the Minister of Health, Prof. Alexandru Rafila. On the other hand, he admitted that it might be too late to change what’s already contracted, but last year, in his opinion, would’ve been an excellent opportunity to change the ongoing contracts.