European Union leaders, during the summit held in Brussels, have warned that by the end of the year, the bloc will donate at least 100 million doses of vaccines to less developed countries, which will also benefit Kosovo and other countries. Western Balkans.
Croatia was the first country to make public a donation of 10,000 doses of vaccine for Kosovo and another amount for Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is these three countries in the region that are most stuck in the vaccination process.
EU sources have warned that Austria, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia will soon provide free vaccines to countries in the region. Kosovo is expected to receive a significant number of vaccines, which will be donated by these countries. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro will also benefit from these donations.
These donations from EU member states will be additional doses after more than 600,000 doses that the EU has already allocated to the Balkan countries.
At the same time, several other EU countries are increasing donations to different countries. Romania has focused its assistance to countries in the eastern neighborhood, especially by donating vaccines to Moldova. Donations are also expected for Georgia and Ukraine. Spain wants more aid for Latin American countries, while France wants more aid for North African countries.
In addition to donations, it is expected that soon some EU countries will have the opportunity to sell the vaccines that belong to them from the quantity contracted by the European Union.
The EU has also allocated 70m euros to countries in the region to help provide vaccines. Vaccines that can go from EU countries can also be paid for from these funds. But many of these states will pay for the vaccines they donate from their own budgets.
At a time when the vaccination process in the EU is going well and many countries are already approaching the figure of 50 percent of adult citizens vaccinated with at least one dose, the EU wants to help speed up vaccination in neighboring countries, especially in those of the Western Balkans.
Although the epidemiological situation in the region seems quite good, in recent days in the EU warns that if the vaccination process does not start during the summer, the new wave of pandemics may return in the fall, as happened last year. .