EU countries
27 March 2020
Ambassador Marja Rislakki signed the Joint Procurement Agreement on behalf of the Republic of Finland.
6 March 2020
The Minister of Health, Prof. Łukasz Szumowski, signed the Agreement on behalf of the Polish Government.
28 February 2020
From right to left: Mr Joakim Svensson, Health Attaché, Sweden, Wolfgang Philipp, Head of Crisis Management and Preparedness for Health Unit, European Commission - Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety
14 June 2019
From left to right: Kiril Ananiev, Health Minister, Bulgaria Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety
18 April 2016
Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety
Birgitt Hesse, Health Minister Land Mecklembourg-Vorpommern (Germany)
Herman Gröhe, Federal Minister of the Health (Germany)
Edith Schippers, Health Minister (The Netherlands)
19 February 2016
Dr Clemens Auer, General Director Gesundheitssystem und zentrale Koordination - Federal Ministry of Health, Austria
Xavier Prats-Monne, Director-General - European Commission, DG Health and Food safety
22 September 2015
Marisol Touraine, French Minister of Health and Social Affairs, signed the Joint Procurement Agreement
19 June 2015
Leo Varadkar, Minister of Health of Ireland
Guntis Belēvičs, Minister for Health of Latvia as the President of the EPSCO Council
Vytenis Andriukaitis, EU Commissioner for Health & Food Safety
1 December 2014
M. Ole Toft (Deputy Permanent Representative - Denmark) and Mrs Rimante Šalaševičiūtė (Health Minister - Lithuania) have signed the JPA at the end of the EPSCO Council Meeting.
Other present people on the pictures: Beatrice Lorenzin (Health Minister - Italy) and Vytenis Andriukaitis (EU Commissioner for Health & Food Safety).
12 November 2014
Mr Olivér Várhelyi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Deputy Permanent Representative - Hungary
EEA countries
9 April 2020
Dr. Mauro Pedrazzini, Minister of Social Affairs, signed the Agreement on behalf of Lichtenstein’s Government.
30 March 2020
H.E. Ambassador Gunnar Pálsson signed on behalf of Iceland on 30 March.
20 March 2020
Ambassador Rolf Einar Fife signing the Agreement on behalf of the Norwegian Government.
Candidate countries
21 April 2020
Ms Ogerta Manastirliu, Minister of Health, signed the Agreement on behalf of the Republic of Albania.
21 April 2020
Mr Siniša Mali, Minister of Finance, signed the Agreement on behalf of the Serbian Government.
10 April 2020
Mr. Venko Filipche, Minister of Health, signed the Agreement on behalf of North Macedonia.
Potential Candidate
28 April 2020
Minister of Finance and Transfers Mr. Besnik Bislimi signed the Agreement on behalf of Kosovo*
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
9 April 2020
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mrs Bisera Turković signed on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The outbreak in 2009 of H1N1 pandemic influenza highlighted weaknesses in the access and purchasing power of EU countries to obtain pandemic vaccines and medications. In 2010, the European Council requested the Commission to start the preparation of joint procurement of vaccines in the frame of a future pandemic.
Provisions for the joint procurement of medical countermeasures are included in Article 5 of Decision 1082/2013/EU on serious cross-border threats to health. As of April 2020, the Joint Procurement Agreement has been signed by 37 countries, including all EU and EEA countries, the UK, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Kosovo*.
The JPA:
- Determines the practical arrangements governing the mechanism
- Defines the decision-making process with regard to the choice of the procedures
- Organises the assessment of the tenders and the award of the contract
.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
Ensuring proper preparedness
The aim of the joint procurement mechanism is to secure more equitable access to specific medical countermeasures and an improved security of supply, together with more balanced prices for the participating EU countries.
In order to be adequately prepared for an outbreak of a serious cross-border threat to health, the institutions of the EU, together with countries that have joined the JPA, may engage in a joint procurement procedure with a view to purchase:
- Vaccines
- Antivirals
- Medical countermeasures for serious cross-border threats to health
Related information
- Article 5 Decision 1082/2013/EU
- Signing ceremonies for Joint Procurement Agreement
- All key documents on Joint Procurement of medical countermeasures.
