Moldova has signed a Joint Procurement Agreement to deepen cooperation with the EU in the field of healthcare.
The document was signed as part of the official visit to Chisinau of the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides. At the same time, Moldova became the 38th country to sign the Joint Procurement Agreement in the field of healthcare, as well as the 6th EU candidate country to become a party to this agreement. It should be noted that the Joint Procurement Agreement is a legal and operational mechanism that allows participating countries to join forces in the face of serious health threats and jointly purchase essential items such as medicines and medical equipment. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it allowed participating countries to purchase personal protective equipment, needles and syringes for COVID-19 vaccination, ventilators and medicines on equal terms. The agreement also improves participating countries' preparedness for serious cross-border diseases by ensuring contracts for essential medical countermeasures are awarded before major outbreaks occur. Most recently, the European Commission signed a framework contract for the supply of up to 665,000 doses of avian flu vaccine from Seqirus, with an option to purchase a further 40 million doses. This contract, aimed at preventing avian influenza, ensures that participating countries have access to medical countermeasures if necessary. The European Commission carries out procurement procedures under the Joint Procurement Agreement in close cooperation with the participating countries. These countries can then purchase contracted products as needed using their national budgets. // 09.07.2024 – InfoMarket
