Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has strongly urged the European Union to ensure that there are no further delays in the supply of vaccines.
“We need to move forward to ensure that, as new vaccines are approved, that approval happens very quickly and that we don’t run after other countries,” said Mitsotakis in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faced criticism last month for the slow pace of vaccine launch after AstraZeneca Plc delayed shipments to the EU. This was something that Mitsotakis signaled that should be taken into account.
“We have the capacity to administer far more vaccines than we currently administer and we have the right infrastructure,” he said. “It is simply a matter of getting your hands on vaccines and this is, in the end, a European decision.”
Greece received praise for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic in March last year, but since the summer the cases have increased again. Its run-down tourism industry is economically vital and accounts for more than a quarter of jobs.
Long wait
Years needed to inoculate 75% of the population with a two-dose vaccine
Source: Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker
Mitsotakis urged other European leaders to establish a common vaccination certificate to encourage visitors this summer. This document will allow those who have been vaccinated to travel without the need for Covid-19 testing or to be quarantined for a few days. “I see many EU member countries interested in exploring this idea further,” said Mitsotakis.
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Although the idea has not been rejected, there are concerns that, with current delays in vaccination, such an initiative cannot be implemented.
The prime minister, in his interview, also addressed the issue of Greece’s debt. The country has received a series of international bailouts since the financial crisis more than a decade ago, and is on its way to paying them: “We will return 3.3 billion euros of the 5.1 billion we borrowed from the IMF”.
In November 2019, Greece made an early repayment to the International Monetary Fund of 2.7 billion euros. The move helped the country take advantage of record low rates to meet targets in advance.
“We want to be very consistent in our signals that we send out to the markets,” said Mitsotakis. “Thus, by paying the IMF loan in advance, we make this commitment and we will ensure that we keep our word.”
– With the help of Paul Tugwell, Nikos Chrysoloras and Zoe Schneeweiss
(Updates with the IMF early repayment of the ninth paragraph.)