Prime Minister Marin urges EU to speed up COVID-19 vaccine distribution

On Monday 11 January, Prime Minister Sanna Marin sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in which she thanked the Commission for organising the joint EU procurement of COVID-19 vaccines and urged the EU to take measures to speed up the distribution of vaccines. 

Prime Minister Marin called on the Commission to do its utmost to ensure that pharmaceutical companies are producing vaccines as efficiently as possible and that the vaccines procured jointly by the EU can be distributed to the Member States more quickly than at present. Prime Minister Marin hopes the Commission will provide an update on the vaccine situation at the videoconference of EU leaders taking place next week.

Prime Minister Marin also raised the issue of vaccine availability in her telephone conversation this evening with Prime Minister António Costa of Portugal, which currently holds the Presidency of the EU Council. In addition, the prime ministers discussed the programme of the Portuguese Presidency, the main objectives of which are to accelerate economic recovery through a green and digital transition, to advance the European social pillar and to strengthen Europe's strategic autonomy

Inquiries: Jari Luoto, State Under-Secretary for European Affairs, tel. +358 50 468 5949 and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister’s Office