The acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines between the Presidency and the Government has opened a gap: why?

The risks of buying a COVID-19 vaccine were discussed last week The Council of Ministers has considered that the purchase price will be high, and the company from which they intend to acquire them can also bring reputational problems.

“The concentration and the price that the parties agree to pay for these vaccines is very high. Because there are significant financial obligations for the state when planning the purchase of vaccines, and there are objectively difficult risks to manage, ”Veryga said during the government meeting last week, adding that vaccine development has not yet been completed and states must decide your purchase now.

They say buying is beyond your powers

He is convinced that the purchase of vaccines is outside the competence of the Ministry of Health and that no expert would dare to take responsibility for it. Therefore, according to A.Veryga, the state must decide collectively.

“In order to minimize possible disagreements in the future between the institutions that have arisen from past decisions, risk management – transparency and others, we have prepared a draft meeting, which we propose to refer this matter to the State Defense Council,” he suggested. the Minister of Health.

Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis explained: He said that the issue of buying vaccines goes beyond the competence of the Government, and even after the police have launched an investigation into the purchase of rapid tests, none of the officials want to take responsibility. of it.

Furthermore, when presenting material received from one of the special services, the Prime Minister stated that the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, from which it intends to buy vaccines, is suspected of corruption.

In one state, the company is suspected of possible bribery.

“There is data that in 2011 in one of the countries the company was suspected of possible bribery for the relevant period. There is more evidence that during another period the company distributed drugs that were not effective ”, taught S. Skvernelis.

He does not want to “change government”

To his knowledge, the company in question also used false prices, provided false information to the market, “paid almost 5.5 million in a given year. “For bribing dollars in two countries and possibly giving bribes in cash or gifts.”

“It just came to our knowledge then. That is why I do not want the Government or the Minister of Health to be insulted, that is why I propose to support and ask the State Defense Council for a decision at the highest level on the security of our country, our people. What to do next, “urged the Prime Minister. and the Government generally agreed.

When it comes to reputational issues, there is a problem. That is why I do not want the Government or the Minister of Health to be insulted.

COVID-19 vaccines, if they are effective and safe, will be purchased by the European Commission (EC) on behalf of all member states of the European Union, including Lithuania. Bet this was agreed in advance not only with AstraZeneca but also with five other companies – „BioNTech-Pfizer“, „Sanofi-GSK“, „Johnson & Johnson“, „Curevac“ go „Modern“.

Why is Lithuania supposed to buy AstraZeneca vaccines suspected of corruption? Perhaps it is not necessary to contact VGT when other suppliers are involved in the purchase?

Lithuania may also not buy vaccines from some manufacturers.

Health Minister A. Veryga emphasized that the EC has an agreement on the purchase of vaccines under development only with the company AstraZeneca. The agreements with other providers, he said, were only preliminary.

“Currently, the EC has already reached preliminary agreements with the six vaccine manufacturers with the greatest potential, that is, preliminary agreements have been reached, but the agreements are being harmonized. Currently, the contract has only been signed with AstraZeneca, said the answer. 15 minutes noted the Minister.

If the EC invites agreements with other providers, Lithuania, according to A.Veryga, will take every opportunity to join. It also says that you won’t be able to buy vaccines from certain manufacturers if you don’t want to.

“Each country can decide individually how to proceed, whether to buy all the vaccines that will be provided in future agreements with certain companies or to buy vaccines only from some manufacturers, if so, how much to buy,” explained A.Veryga.

The parties address the issue at the “highest level”

He stressed that vaccines were being negotiated centrally at the European level to facilitate their purchase: “After all, the coronavirus is not a challenge for any country, it is a global problem, so a new vaccine against the virus is a headache for all countries “.

A.Veryga stated that some countries resolve the issue of vaccine procurement at the highest level.

Denmark plans to discuss the issue in Parliament, and in Germany it has been addressed by the country’s top leaders.

“For example, Denmark plans to discuss this issue in Parliament, in Germany it was attended by the country’s top leaders, other countries are no exception,” said the minister.

“Furthermore, if Lithuania, say, decides to withdraw from the current agreement initiated by the EC or other future agreements, it would already be an international problem. After all, the attitude of other countries towards Lithuania would depend on it.

In other words, the issue of acquiring the new vaccine is not only a matter of internal politics, but also of foreign policy, because it also ends in international waters, “he added.

S.Skvernelis: this is a strategic decision

So, according to him, it is natural that last week the government decided to call the president to convene the VGT. In addition, according to the minister, the special services also suggested doing it.

“Member States must decide to purchase a vaccine developed by a specific manufacturer in accordance with the terms of a pre-purchase contract drawn up by the EC. If the conditions are not met, Member States must bear all risks and withdraw from the purchase of a particular vaccine. Price conversion is not foreseen in this mechanism. Of course, these are high risks and difficult to manage. Therefore, it was proposed to address this in the VGT, at the highest level of the leaders of the country, “said A. Veryga and regretted that the President had refused to hold an extraordinary meeting of the VGT on this issue.

S. Skvernelis emphasized that it intends to summon VGT not for a specific purchase or a specific manufacturer.

At the heart of the problem is a strategic decision about the vaccine.

“The essence of the question is a strategic decision about the vaccine and which path Lithuania will choose from among various alternatives. This is not a specific purchase and it is not a specific manufacturer,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Presidency: the chosen purchase method is appropriate

The presidency has indicated that it does not agree that this is a strategic issue or that it is a source of uncertainty.

In this particular case, the president has no doubt that the vaccine must be purchased, and the method chosen to do so together with other European Union countries by signing a relevant agreement with the European Commission in June is the appropriate one. However, recruitment must be transparent and efficient. ” 15 minutes said Darius Kuliešius, Chief Counsel to the President, and He emphasized that A.Veryga is directly responsible for the implementation of the contracting.

The Minister reiterated that Councilor D. Kuliešius’s arguments were “weak”.

“The arguments presented by the President’s Counsel are weak and without serious arguments. Especially considering that he did not even want to get acquainted with the confidential information Lithuania has about the acquisition of the newly developed vaccine, ”noted A. Veryga.

In accordance with the Law of the State Defense Council, the VGT establishes the strategic guidelines for crisis management.

In total, Lithuania plans to acquire just over 1.8 million. COVID-19 vaccine dose. They would be enough to vaccinate just over 30 percent of the population.