Signing ceremony on Joint Procurement Agreement

Signing ceremony on Joint Procurement Agreement

On 20 June 2014, European Health Commissioner, Tonio Borg, Paola Testori Coggi, Director-General of DG Health and Consumers and the Health Ministers of most EU Member States signed a Joint Procurement Agreement which sets out the modalities under which EU countries can procure jointly pandemic vaccines and other medical countermeasures.

The development of the joint procurement mechanism is a key achievement to better protect citizens from serious cross border threats to health. Joint procurement enables Member States to ensure that pandemic vaccines and medicines are available in sufficient quantities and at a correct price should a cross border health threat emerge.

The mechanism will benefit all EU countries, in particular the ones which encountered difficulties in purchasing vaccines developed for the H1N1 pandemic in 2009. The Commission had already adopted the Agreement through a Commission Decision of 10 April.

For more information on the Joint Procurement Agreement: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-418_en.htm

Photo gallery

Group picture

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Back row – from left to right:
1. Mr Jakub Dürr, Deputy Permanent Representative of Czech Republic to the EU;
2. Mr Wepke KINGMA, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the EU;
3. Ms Nina PIRNAT, State Secretary, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia;
4. Mr Philippos PATSALIS, Minister of Health of Cyprus;
5. Mr James REILLY, Irish Minister for Health;
6. Mr Sinisa VARGA, Croatian Minister for Health;
7. Mr Georges FRIDEN, Deputy Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the EU;
8. Mr Alexis DUTERTRE, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the EU;
9. Mr Vito PAGANELLI, Vice-Mertens, Italy;
10. Mr Philippe COURARD, Belgian Secretary of State for Scientific Policy.

Front row – from left to right:
1. Mr Rinalds MUCINS, State Secretary of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Latvia;
2. Mr Chris FEARNE, Parliamentary Secretary, Malta;
3. Ms. Shan MORGAN, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the EU;
4. Mr Paulo MACEDO, Portuguese Minister of Health;
5. Ms Helmen KUTT, Estonian Minister for Social Affairs;
6. Ms. Pilar FARJAS, Spanish State Secretary for Health;
7. Mr Mavroudis VORIDIS, Greek Minister for Health;
8. Mr Tonio BORG, European Commissioner for Health;
9. Ms Elke BADDE, Staatsrätin Germany;
10. Ms Paola TESTORI COGGI, Director General for Health and Consumers;
11. Mr Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Minister of health of Lithuania;
12. Ms. Ingrid FISCHBACH, State Secretary, German Federal Ministry of Public Health;
13. Ms. Lena FURMARK, Swedish State Secretary, Ministry of Social Affairs;
14. Mr Razvan VULCANESCU, Romanian deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Health;
15. Ms. Marianne HUUSKO-LAMPONEN, Deputy Permanent Representative of Finland to the EU.

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

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^* 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.