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According to the German official, the situation is quite delicate, so the EC must first check the mood in the capitals of the EU countries to assess which member states would be interested in buying the Russian vaccine.
Then negotiations could begin with the makers of Sputnik V and the number of doses to be delivered. And by agreement, EU countries could buy the vaccine not individually, but on behalf of the Community as a whole.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which lights, or not, the green light for the use of vaccines in the EU, received the first data on Sputnik V in early March and launched a follow-up procedure.
EMA chief Emer Cooke confirmed Tuesday that the service is preparing to dispatch inspectors to factories in Russia that produce the Sputnik V vaccine. It is not yet clear when the EMA might decide on this vaccine.
“Scanpix” / AP nuotr./Emer Cooke
However, the German official considered that it would be possible to prepare now for the purchase of the vaccine: “We believe that it would be right for the interviews to start now.”
It is true that there are no formal negotiations with Russia because, of course, this is a sensitive issue. More clarity is expected after the virtual meeting of the European Council on Thursday and Friday.
Russia does not hide its quest for approval of the vaccine in the Community. Moscow was very offended last week when EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said that “we don’t need the Sputnik V vaccine at all.”
Sputnik V was registered in August last year, without the start of large-scale clinical trials, and many experts questioned the reliability of the drug.
However, the authoritative medical journal The Lancet later published research showing that the vaccine is safe and its efficacy exceeds 90 percent.
However, many EU countries do not support the use of Sputnik V; Lithuanian government representatives have already warned. In February, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė warned that this vaccine was accompanied by a thick layer of propaganda.
Žygimantas Gedvila / 15min photo / Ingrida Šimonytė
On the other hand, Hungary and Slovakia have already bought doses of this vaccine on their own, this is not prohibited, although the latter immediately experienced a political crisis, as the coalition partners are angry with Prime Minister Igor Matovich for such decision.
Meanwhile, French Secretary of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune told France Info that the country could start using the Sputnik V vaccine in June.
“The EU could approve a Russian vaccine following the EMA decision, and France, in turn, could start using it in June, early summer,” Beaune said, warning that politicization efforts to vaccinate people are not being carried out. they will politicize.
“France is open to all options. But if someone says that a Russian vaccine alone could solve the problem of underdose, that is not true.
That cannot be the case, and the vaccine is produced in very small quantities, ”explained Mr. Beaune, emphasizing that France would not buy the Sputnik V vaccine alone.
Advance purchase agreements on behalf of the EU require a formal request from at least four Community Member States.
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