Leyen criticized the idea of ​​Merkel and Putin: it goes against the EU rules

“No Member State can evade this legally binding obligation [bendrų derybų] bases. This means: no contacts in parallel. This is the first, “he emphasized at a press conference in Brussels when asked about possible cooperation between Russia and Germany in the production and distribution of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine in the Community.

“Second. The portfolio we have now, I’ve already talked about this, means 2.3 billion. Doses of vaccines. That’s more than enough to vaccinate the entire population,” von der Leyen said.

He also emphasized that any vaccine entering the EU must be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and must be monitored as has been done so far.

“It should be clear: we supply enough safe and effective vaccines. More than enough. It is important that more than enough. And I say that they are aimed not only at the European Union, but also at our neighbors, ”said the head of the EC.

Earlier, it was announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had discussed the possibility of producing coronavirus vaccines together over the phone, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

“Issues of cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic were discussed, emphasizing the possible prospects for joint vaccine production,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

“It has been agreed to continue contacts on this issue between the health ministries of the two countries and other profiling structures,” the report adds.

Merkel said then that she was “open to the idea” of using the ability of European manufacturers to increase production of Russian vaccines, provided she obtained permission from the European Medical Agency, writes politico.eu.

The Kremlin press service also said the leaders discussed “some aspects of the resolution of the internal conflict in Ukraine, in particular the implementation of the agreements reached in the Minsk” package “and the” Normandy Quartet “summits.

The last time Putin and Merkel spoke on the phone was on December 7. At the same time, according to a statement issued by the Russian president’s press service, the leaders discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and eastern Ukraine, as well as the bilateral agenda, including contacts between the health ministries of the two countries. about COVID-19 vaccines.