Head of the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union Special Representative in BiH, Ambassador Johann Sattler, that BiH is only in the middle of the fight against the pandemic and that the fight is far from over.
During a visit to the vaccination point at Sarajevo’s Zetra Hall, Sattler pointed out that the good news is that we have vaccines that are effective and that for the first time in BiH we can say that there are enough of them for all citizens.
“It is important for citizens to take advantage of having enough vaccines and to accept the offer that is on the table,” said Sattler.
The final batch of 18,720 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines procured by Bosnia and Herzegovina under a €13.7 million EU4Health grant arrived in Sarajevo yesterday. This brings the total number of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines delivered to assist Bosnia and Herzegovina in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic under this EU4Health grant to 214,110 doses.
Of the €13.7 million euros allocated under EU4Health to support vaccination against Covid-19 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, more than €9 million remains to support further vaccine purchases. The EU will continue to work with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and other authorities to facilitate further deliveries.
The EU and its member states (Team Europe) have so far delivered a total of 1,302,110 vaccine doses to Bosnia and Herzegovina to provide protection against Covid-19. These donations are supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina to step up its vaccination campaign and increase the number of fully vaccinated persons.
Today’s delivery of vaccines is part of a commitment of 650,000 EU-funded Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines earmarked for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia. The final batches of this package arrived at their destinations this week. The delivery of these vaccines was facilitated by the Republic of Austria, via legal agreements with the producer and authorities in the region.
Enlargement and Neighbourhood Commissioner, Olivér Várhelyi said: “As we pledged (when I visited Sarajevo with the first vaccines) in May, we now delivered 650,000 EU-funded Pfizer doses to the Western Balkans in full. This confirms the strong solidarity by the EU and its Member States. From the beginning of the pandemic, the EU has acted decisively to support our Western Balkans partners as we battle this pandemic together”.
Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ankica Gudeljević said, “As a result of the successful cooperation between the European Union, Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina, once more we have demonstrated that only through joint efforts can we respond to global threats. The ultimate goal of Bosnia and Herzegovina is working together in all areas within the European family”.
EU Special Representative and Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina Johann Sattler said: “The roll out of Covid-19 vaccines has demonstrated that they are safe and effective at preventing infection, serious illness, and death. Currently, most people who fall seriously ill with Covid-19 are unvaccinated. The 1.3 million vaccine doses provided by Team Europe support our partners in BiH to protect the population, help stop the spread of the virus and contribute to preventing mutations that may reduce the performance of existing vaccines. I urge everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they can”.
The EU has provided €95 million in grants to Bosnia and Herzegovina to support the country in its fight against Covid-19. In addition to the €13.7 million EU4Health grant for vaccines, the EU provided €7.76 million to address medical needs (over 6 million pieces personal protective equipment, 66 ventilators, 75 ECG monitors, 20 portable ultrasound machines and other equipment). €73.5 million has been committed to support the socio-economic recovery. The EU has also secured €250 million of macro-financial assistance for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the form of favourable loans.
