Logistical and transport challenges ahead of COVID-19 vaccine distribution

9.12.2020

Question for oral answer  O-000079/2020
to the Commission
Rule 136
José Ramón Bauzá Díaz, Vlad Gheorghe
on behalf of the Renew Group

The Commission has so far concluded six contracts to purchase a potential vaccine against COVID-19. The EU Vaccine Strategy contains a number of key elements for national vaccination strategies, including ensuring easy access to vaccines and the deployment of vaccines with different characteristics and storage and transport needs, in particular in terms of cold chain, cooled transport and storage capacity. In the context of the current logistical and transport challenges ahead of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, we would welcome answers to the following questions:

• 1.How is the Commission planning to support Member States and what kind of additional instruments, other than the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, is it planning to put in place in order to help Member States with their logistical and transport capabilities? How does the Commission intend to ensure that Member States adopt adequate measures for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines, taking into account the different characteristics, storage and transport requirements and needs of those vaccines?
• 2.How does the Commission intend to ensure that Member States put adequate and sufficient measures in place to guarantee the swift and smooth transportation of vaccines all over the EU, and how does it intend to ensure the proper and safe distribution of vaccines, including at both regional and local level?
• 3.How does the Commission intend to ensure that Member States put adequate measures in place to ensure that the transportation process and the costs involved do not hamper the proper and adequate distribution of vaccines? How will the disparities between Member States be taken into consideration and addressed?

Submitted: 09/12/2020

Lapses: 10/03/2021