Europe is facing a new type of world war amid the coronavirus pandemic, including because of the actions of Russia and China in the field of vaccines, said French President Emmanuel Macron, quoted by Figaro.
The President said that Europe "is facing a new type of world war, in the face of attacks", including because of "the desire of Russia and China to influence with the help of vaccines."
In these conditions, Macron believes, Europe needs to be independent in the production of vaccines against COVID-19. “We created the ability to produce [the vaccine]. We are in the process of building capacity to produce second generation vaccines, ”Macron said.
He is confident that the virus will continue to spread and change, so Europe must prepare for such a development of the situation.
The President also said that Europe is the only one with a true vaccination strategy. He stressed that the EU has developed a comprehensive industrial policy, allowing it to reach a production capacity of about 2-3 billion doses per year in the second half of this year.
“We will be able to meet our needs and export in large quantities,” says Macron. He also said that Europe will be the continent that produces the most doses of coronavirus vaccines by summer.
The Russian Sputnik V vaccine is currently undergoing approval by the European regulator. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) began an examination in early March, it should reveal the compliance of the Russian drug with European standards.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the Russian drug faced a "campaign of disinformation, discrimination, demonstrative disregard on the part of European institutions." In particular, Deputy Minister Alexander Grushko spoke about this, adding that the EU makes politicized statements about the vaccine.
Prior to this, Commissioner for Internal Market Affairs Thierry Breton said that the EU would need four approved vaccines. “We have absolutely no need for Sputnik V,” Breton said.
No comments:
Post a Comment