France calls on Europeans to mobilize "
before the summer
" the "
billions of euros
" necessary for the development of second-generation anti-Covid vaccines if they do not want to be left behind once again on the road. international scene.
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"
We would be well inspired if there was in the coming weeks (...) a form of European conference where we put in rapid financial means
", declared the French Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune.
"
It seems to me that before the summer, we must have taken an initiative of this nature,
" he insisted before the Senate European Affairs Committee.
At least several billion
"
We must put a lot of money on the table for this second generation (..) probably several billion euros at least,
" said Clément Beaune, recalling that the United States had spent $ 14 billion at the federal level for the last stage of production of the first generation vaccines.
Dealing with variants
Those of the second generation aim to deal with other variants of the coronavirus, potentially more contagious and resistant.
The EU has "a
few pockets of funding
", noted Clément Beaune, citing the "
new health budget of five billion euros
" and a research budget of "
nearly 100 billion
".
We must also mobilize national resources, he said.
The EU suffered from its difficulties in developing and producing the first generation of vaccines, which weighed on its vaccination campaign, unlike the United States and the United Kingdom.