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Slovenia and other East European countries have requested that vaccine contracts be reopened

Slovenia and other East European countries urge reopening of vaccine contracts due to overabundance and budget concerns. They contend that the doses ordered should be reduced to meet actual demand. The letter, signed by 10 countries, calls for changes in agreements to prevent waste and address concerns about vaccine expiration dates and variants.

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Contracts ought to be terminated "when they're no longer required from an epidemiological and health standpoint," according to the letter sent by the governments.

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The European Commission has been petitioned by 10 Eastern European nations to renegotiate Covid-19 vaccine contracts. It cites an overabundance of doses as well as the necessity  to safeguard state budgets.

The letter also stated the doses ordered should be reduced to more accurately meet the requirement for shots.

The letter has been delivered late Friday night to European Union Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides. The initiative was spearheaded by Poland, which was signed by  Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and, Slovakia.

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Several Eastern European countries have previously expressed concern that the coronavirus vaccine agreements, signed during the pandemic's peak when the Europen Union was under severe pressure from the public to acquire vaccines, have trapped them into purchasing very many injections that are no longer required. The Commission obtained nearly 4.2 billion injections of coronavirus vaccine, roughly 10 times the EU population. 1.3 billion was already delivered in February.

"Contracts with vaccine suppliers provide for the supply of vaccine quantities that exceed in large quantity the Member States' capacity and needs to use them," the letter states, "despite signs that the pandemic is subsiding and satisfactory vaccination levels have been achieved throughout the EU."

The nations that signed on the letter contend that due to problems with vaccine donations, vaccines may go unused, which would be " waste of national funds and that cannot be fairly explained to the people."

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According to the group of Eastern European countries, the Commission's efforts to redraw agreements to stagger deliveries are insufficient. The countries want the terms of the agreements governing vaccine purchases altered.

The message also addresses the Baltic countries' concerns about vaccines arriving near its expiration date and requests a min shelf-life requisite.

Other demands include making sure that vaccines safeguard against the recent variants and considering the possibility of the EU's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority purchasing unutilized vaccines to create a joint stash and allow for more coordinated charitable contributions to other nations.

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