© Reuters
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Doses of COVID-19 vaccines are not evenly distributed across the European Union according to the population of the member states, as agreed, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Friday, calling for transparency and a solution to the problem.
Malta is set to receive three times more doses of vaccine than its population by the end of June than Bulgaria, Kurtz was quoted as saying by Rothers. He added that some countries will have vaccinated their citizens by May, while others will need to continue until the end of summer or autumn. Austria is roughly in the middle, he added.
Kurz said he had shared supply data with other European leaders this week to get a clearer picture, and found that there were growing differences between member states.
“Deliveries are not made in accordance with the population. Obviously, there are plans to intensify this process in the coming months and the differences between member states will become greater,” Kurz said at a press conference convened with an hour’s notice.
EU leaders have accepted the principle of equal distribution per capita, but Kurz says there are indications of deals with pharmaceutical companies within the EU’s Vaccination Board that undermine this.
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“The contracts of this body are secret and I have not seen them. However, there are indications that the so-called bazaar took place there, where additional agreements have been reached between Member States and pharmaceutical companies,” he said.
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EU officials, including Austrians, have used the term “bazaar” informally for months to describe the mechanism by which member states share overdoses. The deputy head of the said board is also Austrian.
Asked about Kurz’s comments, a spokesman for the European Commission said: “Member States may decide to request more or less of a vaccine and this is being discussed between Member States.”
He added: “It is possible in this context that, following the outcome of discussions between Member States, a new dissemination principle will be agreed with the company following an agreement and discussions with all Member States.”
He noted that EU governments can waive contracts with specific companies.
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