The European Union has increased its € 40 million to € 75 million aid package for the deployment of COVID-19 vaccination in six Eastern Partnership countries, including Ukraine. This is stated in a statement on the website of the European Commission.
“With the new € 35 million aid package, the EU seeks to significantly expand access to vaccines in the Eastern Partnership region in the face of a global vaccine shortage, facilitating the exchange of vaccines between EU member states and reimbursing costs,” the statement said.
35 million euros will complement the first aid package of 40 million euros, the development of which began in February. The program provided more than 11 million personal protective equipment units, 12,000 laboratory kits, more than 1,500 ventilators, oxygen concentrators and pulse oximeters, and more than 20,000 PCR test kits throughout the region.
The new package will support the effective deployment of vaccines received by the Eastern Partnership countries through the EU vaccine exchange mechanism, the COVAX program or direct purchases from manufacturers.
The Eastern Partnership was launched in 2009 to deepen the EU’s political and economic ties with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The level of involvement of participating countries varies. The EU has signed association agreements with the last three.