From defeating the virus to combating climate change, solving global problems requires
teamwork, argues Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission
The European Union has a unique asset—our convening powerSOME COUNTRIES see the quest for a vaccine as a race among global powers,
reminiscent of the space race of the 1960s. This is an illusion. The only race is against
the virus and against time. We, as human beings, are fighting this together. Our best
strategy is co-operation, and this has been the European Union’s approach from the
very outset of the coronavirus crisis.
It usually takes up to ten years to develop, test and distribute a new vaccine. But the
world cannot afford ten years of this pandemic—a decade of mourning, confinement
and disruption. Every month we gain will save thousands of lives and millions of jobs.
Dozens of research teams are now racing to develop vaccines. We need as many as
possible to reach the finish line.
This is all about geopolitical co-operation, not competition. It will not matter whether
the first vaccine is Chinese, American or European. What truly matters is that the world
gets a safe vaccine with the shortest delay, and that the most vulnerable are immunised
first, wherever they are. Doctors, nurses, elderly people and essential workers should
take precedence, whatever their nationality. This is the most efficient way to stem the
pandemic and save lives. Vaccine nationalism—a “my country first” approach to
immunisation—can only slow down the global fight against the virus.
Since the early days of the crisis the European Commission has worked to give health
professionals a better chance to succeed, in our collective interest. When the initial
outbreak morphed into a global pandemic, we swiftly joined forces with the World
Health Organisation and other global-health actors, such as Gavi and CEPI, as well as
businesses and civil-society groups. Together we launched an initiative to speed up the
fight against the disease: the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator.
Its vaccines pillar, called COVAX, brought together 170 countries with NGOs, business
leaders and philanthropists, to create the largest portfolio of vaccine candidates in the
world. The aim is to make sure that as many vaccines as possible reach the trial phase
and, eventually, the market. Instead of competing against other countries, Europe is
joining forces with them, so that we all increase our chances of success.
We do not do this out of altruism. We simply realise that our European interest
coincides with a shared global interest. While engaging in talks with six pharmaceutical
groups to purchase potential vaccines for European citizens, we are also working to
reserve and finance doses for low-income countries through COVAX. For instance, when
we signed advance-purchase agreements with Sanofi and GSK, we agreed they would
reserve a significant portion of their vaccine supply for COVAX.
This is how I see the European Union’s mission in today’s world. We have a unique
asset—our convening power. As a union of 27 sovereign countries, we have an
unparalleled diplomatic network. We are a trusted interlocutor for international
organisations and NGOs. We can reach out to countries that will not even talk to each