A first agreement between the European Commission and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca was concluded on the 14th of August. This agreement provides for the purchase of a potential vaccine against COVID-19 and for donations to low- and middle-income countries or retransfers to other European countries.

The agreement between the Commission and AstraZeneca was entered into on behalf of the Member States of the European Union and covers the purchase of 300 million doses of vaccine with an option to purchase a further 100 million doses. In parallel, the Commission is continuing its negotiations with other manufacturers and hopes to conclude other similar agreements.
Like the this one, the next agreements will also be financed by the EU’s emergency aid instrument, which allocates funds for the creation of a portfolio of potential vaccines.