EU vaccinations – latest iteration of multi-speed Europe?

In a blog post, Liliana Kotval writes about how vaccination against COVID-19 and its application in various Member States can exacerbate the phenomenon of so-called multi-speed Europe.

A major focus of 2021 across the globe has been quick and efficient COVID-19 vaccine distribution to save lives, restore order in economies and resume some resemblance of our previous lifestyles. The EU, esteemed as a world leader, however, is far behind other nations, such as the US and UK, in vaccination numbers and rates, even when Nordic EU countries have been leading in implementing effective measures at slowing rates of COVID-19 infection. Geopolitical differences between the twenty-seven member states and disunity have delayed contract signing with pharmaceutical companies, resulting in lagging and insufficient vaccine deliveries. The goal of herd immunity can be expected soon in the summer of 2021 in the US and UK, however if the EU does not increase its vaccination rate, it may take until the end of 2021, and the implications of this delay will certainly be at the expense of lives and economy.

You can read the full article here.