Connect with us

coronavirus

EU taxpayers should know precisely how their money is used for vaccine development

SHARE:

Published

on

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

In the European Parliament’s committee on budgets, members heard Ms Sandra Gallina, director for health and food safety (DG SANTE) at the European Commission on the clarity needed in relation to the financing of its COVID-19 strategy.

Unfortunately, S&D Group MEPs are not satisfied with the answers provided and are still requesting further detail, in whatever form (Court of Auditors report, hearings with CEOs of pharmaceutical companies or commissioners, quicker and wider publication of the Anticipatory Purchase Agreements between the Commission and pharmaceutical companies).

Eider Gardiazábal Rubial MEP, S&D spokeswoman on budget, said: “Over the past few months, we have been asked to refill the EU budget twice, up to €3 billion in total, largely to finance the accelerated vaccine research investments of pharmaceutical companies. So far, we still do not know clearly how much went to which company. On top of this, member states claim they had to complement these amounts as that money has been used up, and again, we do not know how much each. I do not want to believe that pharma companies are rushing for profit in these times. Solidarity in the face of a common threat is what guides our European response to COVID-19.

“Parliament lived up to its responsibilities in the urgent context we were facing. Now citizens want to know how it was done and they have that right. The S&Ds have taken on this cause, and will not drop it until these questions are answered in detail.”

Share this article:

EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter. Please see EU Reporter’s full Terms and Conditions of publication for more information EU Reporter embraces artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance journalistic quality, efficiency, and accessibility, while maintaining strict human editorial oversight, ethical standards, and transparency in all AI-assisted content. Please see EU Reporter’s full A.I. Policy for more information.

Trending