Destruction of vaccines

18.2.2022

Question for written answer  E-000716/2022
to the Commission
Rule 138
Marc Botenga (The Left)

On 16 February 2022, the People’s Vaccine Alliance and Oxfam revealed that the EU would throw away 55 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of February 2022, many more than the 30 million doses it has donated to Africa so far in 2022[1].

• 1.In comparison to donations, how many vaccine doses have been destroyed in the EU in 2021 and 2022 respectively?
• 2.Can the Commission explain why these doses were destroyed?
• 3.Would the Commission agree that such waste simply illustrates the inefficiency of a vaccine purchase model whereby Member States buy up and hoard excess doses only to partially transfer them to third countries later on?

• [1] https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/eu-set-bin-25-million-more-vaccine-doses-it-has-donated-africa-year