EU member states are allowed to independently purchase the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. This was stated by the representative of the European Commission (EC) Eric Mamer, quoted by TASS.
“There are two aspects to separate: we have identified a portfolio of vaccines that we purchase together. EU states should not negotiate in parallel with EU vaccine manufacturers. But they have every right from a legal point of view to purchase vaccines from other suppliers, ”Mamer emphasized.
The EC representative noted that the vaccine approval procedure is indeed carried out by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), but there is an emergency procedure: it allows countries to purchase vaccines without the approval of the European Commission and the EMA recommendations. Mamer added that the EC's strategy is to guarantee access to vaccines for EU states in order to vaccinate all citizens of the association.
On March 4, the EMA began an examination of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. The European regulator expects the vaccine to be evaluated in a shorter time frame.
Hungary and Slovakia have already approved the use of “Sputnik V” on an individual basis, without waiting for the registration of the drug in the EU.
At the moment, 42 countries have registered the Russian drug.
