Updated Vaccines Europe Position on Joint Procurement of Vaccines in Europe

September 2022

Executive Summary

• Vaccines Europe supports possible solutions for sustainable and equal access to current and future vaccines in Europe, including COVID-19 vaccines.
• There are a variety of reasons for shortages of vaccines, however these reasons will not be solved by joint procurement.
• If vaccine challenges are addressed properly otherwise, they will support further sustainability of vaccines availability in Europe.
• Routine vaccination programmes are in principle a matter of national competence and it would be particularly complex to address country particularities through joint procurement.
• We support specific advance procurement agreements for extraordinary public health challenges where cross-border collaboration is helpful to the emergency response across Europe.
• Any procurement practices, including joint procurement, should foster fair competition, timely access, and reliable supply.