The European Commission today said it had coordinated a shipment of 21,600 doses of coronavirus vaccines from Romania to Moldova, which has been struggling to deal with the pandemic’s impact.
The vaccine consignment, offered by Romania to its neighbor, comes after Moldova requested access to vaccines through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Janez Lenarčič, the commissioner in charge of crisis management, said in a statement that supporting the global delivery of vaccines was essential for “containing the COVID-19 pandemic: no country in the world will be safe until everyone is safe.” The EU coordinates the assistance, and also finances up to 75 percent of the transport costs.
Today’s announcement comes the day before European Council President Charles Michel will travel to Moldova’s capital Chișinău on Sunday to meet with President Maia Sandu before flying to Georgia and Ukraine.
Sandu, who took up her post as president in December, told media at the time that, “For a small country like Moldova it is very difficult to get the attention of the [vaccine] producers. But they are usually interested in larger contracts so usually they talk to bigger countries. That’s why we do need the support of the EU countries.”
The EU Civil Protection Mechanism already supplied the eastern European country with surgical masks, ventilators, disinfectant liquid and gloves, provided by regional allies including Romania, the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria.
The EU support is part of a broader program designed to help Moldova deal with the pandemic. Earlier this month, Sandu signed a financing agreement with the European Commission for a grant worth €15 million.
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