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EU video summit on pandemic and security starts on Thursday

A two-day EU video summit on the COVID-19 pandemic and security issues will begin on Thursday afternoon. The Polish Prime Minister and other leaders are to talk about how to improve coordination in the fight against the coronavirus and accelerate the process of delivering vaccines to member states.

“Our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic continues. It is still a difficult challenge due to the emergence of new variants [of the virus] and the need to find the right balance between restrictions and the smooth flow of goods and services in the single market,” the head of the European Council Charles Michel wrote in a letter to the heads of EU states and governments.

On Wednesday, the prime ministers of Poland, Spain, Denmark and Belgium and the President of Lithuania wrote a joint letter to the head of the EC in which they appealed for an increase in COVID-19 vaccine deliveries.

Accelerating vaccinations across the EU also requires speeding up the authorisation process of vaccines, as well as their production. During the summit the leaders are to discuss how to ensure the predictability of vaccine supply deliveries and force pharmaceutical companies to live up to their commitments.

The talks will also concern restrictions imposed by member states due to the pandemic. The next item on the agenda of the summit regards further work on the common position on vaccination certificates.

On Friday, EU leaders are to talk about security and defence issues. NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will join them at the start of the videoconference to exchange views on EU-NATO cooperation. Then a discussion is set to begin on how to improve the collective ability to respond to security challenges and threats. Mr Michel also wants EU leaders to discuss cyberattacks and hybrid threats, which nowadays present very real security challenges.

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