Billy Kelleher: The EU can, and must, speed up vaccine delivery
The use of advanced purchase agreements did mean the EU got the vaccines at a lower price. However, did that mean we fell down the delivery list? Was it worth it? The effort to save a few euro on each vaccine is in vain when, in Ireland’s case, every two weeks of level 5 lockdown costs the State in excess of €1bn.
The EU’s ongoing dispute with AstraZeneca has dominated the news over the past week. And rightly so. However, it’s not the only part of the bloc's vaccine strategy that has been mired in controversy.
Eyebrows have been raised in capitals across the union thanks to tardy authorisation processes, the lack of transparency on contracts, and certain member states trying to jump the queue by doing side deals with vaccine producers.
