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Commission signs joint procurement contract for COVID-19 vaccines to ensure preparedness and protection of citizens ahead of winter season

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The European Commission has signed on the request of 14 countries a joint procurement framework contract with the Spanish pharmaceutical company HIPRA. The participating countries will be able to order up to 4 million doses of the protein-based COVID-19 vaccine Bimervax®, as needed depending on national context and with no minimum number of doses to be bought. The contract will run for a period of up to two years, with vaccines ready for delivery in time for the current vaccination season.

Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib (pictured) said: “With COVID-19 cases and new variants emerging, protection against these viruses is essential, especially for the most vulnerable. With today's joint procurement, we are enhancing our preparedness and securing a supply of necessary medical countermeasures against the ever-present threat of COVID-19. This vaccine from HIPRA follows an end-to-end approach, from R&D to production, located entirely in Europe, strengthening our strategic autonomy and diversifying our portfolio of vaccines. We are committed to reinforcing our health security for a safer, healthier and better protected Europe.”  

While mRNA vaccines are already available, this joint procurement contract increases the options for public health systems by offering protein-based vaccines. This type of vaccine contains fragments of a protein that is unique to the virus. These fragments are enough for the person's immune system to recognise that the unique protein should not be in the body and responds by producing natural defences against infection by COVID-19.

An added benefit of today's agreement with HIPRA is that its R&D, production and fill and finish are all located in Europe. This strengthens Member States's strategic autonomy by shortening the supply chain and reducing reliance on third countries for production and export.

As of April 2025, 38 countries have signed the ‘Joint Procurement Agreement', a mechanism at the EU level to jointly procure medical countermeasures on a voluntary and flexible basis. This mechanism contributes to EU-level preparedness for public health crises or pandemics. 

More information can be found online.

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