EU claims 'leadership' in persuading partners to accelerate global immunization

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, expressed his satisfaction that the G7 countries have followed the “lead” of the European Union (EU) and accepted the acceleration of the production and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines worldwide.

The priority was to ensure that we could meet the demand for vaccines and this is where the European Union took the lead. The partners have now joined us to accelerate the production and distribution of vaccines worldwide,” he announced on the final day of the summit held in Carbis Bay, in southwest England.

The Group of Seven (Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom) hopes to reach the goal of donating one billion doses by next year, with the United States promising to provide 500 million doses and the United Kingdom another 100 million.

The European Union considers itself the “pharmacy of the world” given that it has exported nearly half of the 700 million doses produced in its space since December to more than 90 countries, unlike other major producers such as the United States and the United Kingdom.

In a video posted on Twitter, Michel also welcomed the union between countries with “liberal democracies and open societies” in the face of pressure from authoritarian regimes, in a veiled reference to China and Russia, which Brussels regularly criticizes.

This union provides the ability to “respond under pressure or attack, but also to spread our values of freedom, rule of law and respect for human rights,” he said.

Finally, Michel reiterated the EU’s commitment to Africa at the G7 summit, where Michel said it was possible to unify the positions of European countries and “convinced our partners to mobilize more money” for the continent.

Leaders of industrialized countries plan to announce new climate finance schemes to help the poorest countries reduce carbon emissions and adapt to the impact of climate change.

The “Building Back Better for the World” plan aims to secure financing for essential infrastructure, from railways in Africa to wind farms in Asia.

In addition to the European Union, regular attendance at G7 summits, this time India, South Korea, Australia and South Africa have been invited to bolster the group’s support for other democracies.

The meeting, the first in person in two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was organized by the United Kingdom, which took over the rotating presidency this year, and which will be in charge of Germany in 2022.