EU willing to co-finance vaccine production unit in Morocco

The European Commission is ready to co-finance a vaccine production unit in Morocco, a spokesperson for the EU Commission said on Thursday, indicating that the unit would serve as a distributor of vaccines in Africa.

 

“In the event that pharmaceutical companies would make a clear and structured proposal, meeting all the conditions for a satisfactory production chain in Morocco – including technical, regulatory, licensing conditions – the European Commission could participate in the financing of a vaccine production unit in the Kingdom,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the EU Commission wants to contribute to African independence in terms of the production of vaccines.

It is “important that Africa equips itself with an endogenous capacity to produce vaccines…This infrastructure is necessary beyond the Coronavirus pandemic”, the spokesperson said, adding that “discussions are underway on this issue between the European Union and the African Union”.

Arguing that such a structure is necessary after COVID-19, the EU official emphasized that the European commission has the financial instruments and strong assets to support such projects through different funds, including the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus.

 

The Spokesperson recalled that the European Commission has earmarked a €456 million assistance to Morocco to help it meet immediate health and socio-economic needs as part of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.