Skip to main content
Trade
News article30 September 2021BrusselsDirectorate-General for Trade

EU extends COVID-19 vaccines export transparency and authorisation mechanism until December

Today, the EU has extended until 31 December 2021 the COVID-19 vaccines export transparency and authorisation mechanism in its current form. The Commission does not intend to propose a further extension of this mechanism after 31 December 2021.

The purpose of the vaccines export transparency and authorisation mechanism is to secure deliveries of vaccines to Europeans in line with companies’ contractual obligations. The system currently in place has significantly improved the transparency of vaccines production, deliveries and supply chains. It has also shown that the EU is a global leader in terms of vaccines exports. Deliveries of COVID-19 vaccine doses in the Union have been continuing at an increasing pace, resulting in the clear progress of the vaccination campaign in the Union. However, our vaccination campaign is still ongoing, and uncertainties remain, in particular with the emergence of new variants of the COVID-19 virus. There is therefore a continuing need for transparency of export deliveries and Union supplies.

Over the next three months, the Commission will work on arrangements to establish a monitoring mechanism that will provide company-specific and timely vaccine export data once the current scheme expires, from 1 January 2022. Such system will allow the EU to continue to have transparency on vaccine exports, outside any mandatory export authorisation mechanism.

The EU remains fully committed to the principles of international solidarity and international responsibility. Low- and middle-income countries will continue to be exempted from the scope of the mechanism.

For more information

Commission Implementing Regulation
Frequently asked questions

Details

Publication date
30 September 2021
Author
Directorate-General for Trade
Location
Brussels
Trade topics
Actions against exports from the EU