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President Klaus Iohannis attended the European Council meeting in Brussels on October 15 - 16, stating on this occasion that a solution is necessary to make coronavirus vaccines available to member states as soon as they are out, the Presidential Administration informs, accrding to AGERPRES.
The European leaders discussed the future of the EU-UK relationship, climate change, EU coordination in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, EU-Africa relations, developments in the Union's eastern neighborhood, with a focus on Belarus and the case of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, as well as the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
As regards the epidemiological situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, they emphasized the measures taken so far to ensure a coordinated approach at Union level, including measures to restrict free movement as a response to the pandemic, in line with the recently adopted recommendation of the EU Council. The Council encouraged the European Commission and the member states to continue the overall coordination effort based on the best available science, focusing on quarantine measures, cross-border contact tracing, testing strategies and the joint assessment of testing methods, the mutual recognition of tests, as well as on the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU.
The European Council took note of work at EU level on the development and distribution of vaccines, stressing the importance of ensuring fair and affordable access to vaccines. The European Council also encouraged the strengthening of cooperation in this field at global level. The heads of state and government agreed that developments in the COVID-19 pandemic should be addressed on a regular basis at the level of the European Council.
"President Klaus Iohannis pointed out that Romania shares the concerns about the accelerated growth in the number of COVID-19 infection cases, emphasizing that it is crucial to strengthen cooperation among member states, as well as the fact that a solution must be found for making vaccines available to member states as soon as they are out," the Presidential Administration said.
