Emmanuel Macron called for Europe and the United States to …

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, said that Europe and the United States should provide “very quickly” up to 5% of their reserves of vaccines against the coronavirus to developing countries they have just launched their vaccination programs.

The French head of state made this request in an interview with the Financial Times published this Friday, on the eve of the G7 virtual meeting to be held under the Presidency of the United Kingdom and during which World leaders to discuss how to improve collaboration in health and vaccine development.

Macron noted that some African countries were buying Western vaccines, like AstraZeneca’s, at “astronomical prices,” two or three times what Europeans pay, while also receiving offers for Chinese and Russian doses.

“This is an unprecedented acceleration in global inequalities and is also politically unsustainable, as it gives way to a war of influence over vaccines,” the president added.

Macron also indicated that he considers key for pharmaceutical companies to transfer technology overseas to accelerate global vaccine production and that there is price transparency.

“Our vaccination campaigns will not change, but each (European) country should set aside a small number of doses that it has to deliver tens of millions, but very quickly” to African countries, said the French president and declared that he had talked about it. question with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The United States has said it will not donate covid-19 vaccines to emerging countries until sufficient supplies are available for their country, while the United Kingdom pledges to donate most of its surplus to the poorest regions.

With a population of 67 million, the UK has signed contracts for the purchase of over 400 million vaccines from different pharmaceutical companies, so it is expected that there will be a significant surplus once the entire adult population will have been vaccinated, which is to be expected. September.

Likewise, G7 leaders – the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Japan – are expected to discuss some type of vaccine distribution deal this Friday. .