The EU Has Nobody to Blame But Itself for Its Vaccine Debacle | Opinion Jorge González-Gallarza On 2/4/21 at 6:00 AM EST
When European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen persuadedEU heads of state in June to hand her full discretion to procure vaccines for the bloc s 450 million residents, she probably envisioned EU flags stamped on pallet loads of vaccines delivered from Lisbon to Warsaw. The actual result has been rather different.
Europe s approach to tackling the coronavirus pandemic has involved merging 27 national ministries into a single European Health Union. The merger would be a milestone, von der Leyen hoped, for the kind of geopolitical commission she has worked to build since taking over the European Commission in late 2019. Having a single entity negotiate in bulk with pharmaceutical suppliers would allow the EU to speed ahead of rivals in the cutthroat global race for safe vaccines a fitting blend of European competitiveness and solid
BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union on Wednesday proposed a four-billion-euro ($4.8 billion) plan aimed at improving the fight against cancer as the coronavirus pandemic tends to delay diagnoses and access to treatment across the 27-nation bloc.
According to EU s figures, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the bloc, whose population is 450 million inhabitants. There are about 1.3 million deaths and 3.5 million new cases per year in the EU.
An estimated 40% of EU citizens will face cancer at some point in their lives, with an annual economic impact estimated around 100 billion euros ($120 billion).
“In 2020, while we were all fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us were fighting a silent battle, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “The battle against cancer.
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Following the Commissionâs adoption of the European Beating Cancer Plan today, the Socialists and Democrats Group expressed their support for this initial positive step, calling for reinforced co-ordination and shared research among member states to ensure all citizens in the EU can rely on effective and high-quality treatment and care.
The S&D co-ordinator in the beating cancer committee, Alessandra Moretti MEP, stated:
âAs progressives we have been at the forefront calling for a European Health Union to be created. As progressives, we are happy to see that the EU Commission aims at making the Beating Cancer Plan one of the main tools in the fight against one of the leading causes of death in the European Union, with a renewed, co-ordinated and more efficient approach.
EU wants to step up fight against cancer amid virus pandemic mymotherlode.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mymotherlode.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
| UPDATED: 15:09, Wed, Feb 3, 2021
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In an interview with German public broadcaster ARD, the German Chancellor defended the EU s joint vaccine procurement programme. She said: “I believe that basically nothing has gone wrong. But Mrs Merkel was quick to admit that Brexit Britain s success in the vaccination race annoyed her.