Opposition Demands from Government to Apply for Covid-19 Vaccine Available to EU Citizens

Vaccine

The United Opposition of Serbia (UOS) demanded from the Serbian government on Sept. 16 that as soon as possible gets in touch with international organizations, primarily the institutions of the European Union, to ensure that the vaccine against Covid-19 that will be used in the EU countries be made available to the citizens of Serbia as well.

In a press release the opposition group said that “the European Commission has responded to the UOS’ inquiry regarding the Serbian population’s access to a safe vaccine against Covid-19,” and that “from [their] response it is obvious that Serbia is not part of the COVAX Facility Program (ensuring global equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines), managed by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) in cooperation with the World Health Organization, and financed also by the EU.”

“The program aims to provide safe access to vaccines procured by COVAX at an agreed price. Non-EU member countries such as Armenia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, but also Portugal, Norway, Switzerland and Great Britain are include in the program because their governments have applied. Serbia is not, because our government has not applied,” the press release adds.

“Since we have initially agreed, and later gave up the idea, to have our citizens take part in the testing of a vaccine produced by China and since we have not applied for a program in which other non-EU member countries will participate, there is a serious danger that we will be deprived of an opportunity to procure a safe, timely, and financially favorable vaccine,” the UOS said in its press release.