If rolling out vaccines is a race, it is undeniable that the EU is falling behind.
Israel has successfully inoculated nearly half its population with at least one dose of the vaccine. Biden has set an ambitious goal of vaccinating all American citizens by the end of May. And with no more strings attached, the UK is the third country in the world to have provided at least the first dose to more than one third of its nationals.
Countries have been flexing their vaccine diplomacy muscles, with Russia pledging to supply its Sputnik V vaccine to countries in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, and China supplying vaccines to over 15 different nations. Vaccine distribution through schemes such as COVAX are underway, which aims to ensure global equitable access to a vaccine, with more than two thirds of the world engaged in the initiative.
At the EU level, the situation seems to be spiralling out of control.
The distribution of vaccines remains a big concern, after AstraZeneca failed to fulfil its contractual obligations with the European Union. Consequently, member states are considering forming alliances with vaccine providers outside of the EU, raising many questions on the EU’s unity.
Finally, there has been much talk of the ‘Digital Green Pass’ allowing travel for those who can prove they have been vaccinated, raising questions on whether a vaccine should be a pre-condition to travel.
In this webinar, we will explore these issues in a global context and discuss, where do we go from here?
We are delighted that Ms Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics at University of Massachusetts Amherst, Miguel Ceballos Barón, Senior Expert and Assistant to the Deputy Director-General at DG Health and Michel Goldman, Professor at the ULB, Former Executive Director of the IMI and Founder of the I3h Institute, will join us for this debate.
Andrea Renda, Senior Research Fellow and Head of Global Governance, Regulation, Innovation & Digital Economy, will moderate the discussion.
