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| Oliver Varhelyi in a speech in e EC gathering, May, 2020 |
The EC is helping the Western Balkans by approving a 70m-euro package for rapid access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi says the Western Balkans is a privileged partner of the EU and will continue in this spirit with vaccines.
He says steps are being taken to vaccinate critical staff and groups most at risk of COVID-19 in the Western Balkans as soon as possible.
Under this package, 70 million euros will be used to give the countries of the Western Balkans access to the vaccine through EU countries, which have already secured it all and yesterday started in unison the massive vaccination program.
It is emphasized that this package is all in the form of grants for the countries of the Western Balkans, including Albania.
#WesternBalkans: @EU_Commission adopts €70 million package for early access to EU #COVID-19 vaccines: Throughout the pandemic, we stand by our partners in the region & we continue to act in this spirit also in the case of vaccines. #StrongerTogether https://t.co/YiZlSshOCw
— Oliver Varhelyi (@OliverVarhelyi) December 28, 2020
"Throughout the pandemic, the EU has shown that we treat the Western Balkans as privileged partners. We continue to act in this spirit in the case of vaccines as well, taking steps to enable a rapid start of vaccination campaigns for critical staff and the most vulnerable groups in the region early on. Rapid vaccination will be crucial in ending the pandemic and beginning the socio-economic recovery of the Western Balkans."