Please try another search
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: European Commission President Von Der Leyen meets Moldova's President Sandu in Brussels
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission is proposing to speed up the production of COVID-19 vaccines by helping to upgrade existing pharmaceutical plants or build new ones, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Tuesday.
The letter, from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, comes as the bloc struggles with a shortage of vaccines largely arising from production issues.
"The Commission should deploy all means necessary to meet Europe's needs, be it through additional investing in upgrading or repurposing existing plants or building new ones," the joint letter to EU leaders said.
It added that the newly agreed EU budget, which together with a recovery fund totals 1.8 trillion euros ($2.2 trillion), should be used to best effect.
The Commission, the letter said, should talk with industry not only to address the supply of vaccines but also other products such as tests and treatments.
The Commission is also proposing to create a programme involving high tech companies and manufacturers to detect and respond to future pathogens faster.
Von der Leyen faced hours of questions on Tuesday from lawmakers over the Commission's vaccine strategy, with criticism of the slow rollout and export control plan that dismayed Britain and Ireland.
EU countries have so far given first doses to about 3% of their populations, compared with 9% for the United States and 14% for Britain, according to Our World in Data.
($1 = 0.8319 euros)
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had conceded defeat in a national election on Saturday, saying that while vote counting was incomplete the...
By Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - British retail sales jumped unexpectedly in April as shoppers loaded up on alcohol and tobacco, likely a blip in an otherwise bleak trend that has...
By Lewis Krauskopf NEW YORK (Reuters) - The stock market's brutal year neared a grim milestone as the S&P 500's slide on Friday threatened to leave it in a bear market for the...
Are you sure you want to block %USER_NAME%?
By doing so, you and %USER_NAME% will not be able to see any of each other's Investing.com's posts.
%USER_NAME% was successfully added to your Block List
Since you’ve just unblocked this person, you must wait 48 hours before renewing the block.
I feel that this comment is:
Thank You!
Your report has been sent to our moderators for review
Add a Comment
We encourage you to use comments to engage with other users, share your perspective and ask questions of authors and each other. However, in order to maintain the high level of discourse we’ve all come to value and expect, please keep the following criteria in mind:
Enrich the conversation, don’t trash it.
Stay focused and on track. Only post material that’s relevant to the topic being discussed.
Be respectful. Even negative opinions can be framed positively and diplomatically. Avoid profanity, slander or personal attacks directed at an author or another user. Racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination will not be tolerated.
Perpetrators of spam or abuse will be deleted from the site and prohibited from future registration at Investing.com’s discretion.