The EU has increased by 35 million euros the overall financial assistance package to accelerate vaccination in the Eastern Partnership countries, including Moldova.
As part of the European Union's efforts to support vaccination in partner countries, the European Commission has increased its aid package from € 40 million to € 75 million. These funds will be used to accelerate vaccination campaigns in six Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) directly through the EU's Vaccine Sharing Mechanism and indirectly through COVAX and direct procurement from COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers. With a new aid package, the EU seeks to significantly increase access to vaccines in the Eastern Partnership region, facilitate the exchange of vaccines between EU member states and recover costs. This assistance will complement the EU's support for the COVAX initiative, a global mechanism to ensure fair and universal access to COVID-19 vaccines and transparent vaccine distribution. Recall, the first package of assistance to the countries of the Eastern Partnership was allocated by the EU in February in order to immediately prepare for safe and effective vaccination of the population in the field. The funds were used for the following purposes: training of health officials and medical staff participating in the vaccination campaign; providing logistical support for the supply, distribution and handling of vaccines; consolidation of vaccination data and safety monitoring; community communication and participation, and support for the development of the COVID digital certificate. Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi said the EU is committed to supporting its eastern neighbors in accelerating vaccinations as this will be critical to ending the pandemic and starting the region's socio-economic recovery. The recently adopted program is part of Team Europe's global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and builds on the joint efforts of Member States and the EU's collaboration with WHO. It also builds on the initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Eastern Partnership region, launched last year, when the EU and WHO joined forces to launch the Solidarity for Health initiative in the Eastern Partnership countries. As part of the action, the countries of the Eastern Partnership received more than 11 million units of personal protective equipment, 12 thousand laboratory kits, more than 1,500 ventilators, oxygen concentrators and pulse oximeters, as well as more than 20 thousand kits for PCR testing. Team Europe is one of the leading contributors to the COVAX initiative with nearly € 3 billion for the COVAX fund. To complement these efforts, Team Europe intends to donate at least 200 million doses to partner countries by the end of the year. Most vaccines are expected to be delivered through COVAX.//10.08.2021 — InfoMarket.
