 And we are now moving ahead to our very interesting debate on the COVID-19 pandemic vaccination campaign. And I would like to inform you that we will go over 0.15 on the debate and 0.16 on the resolution on the COVID-19 pandemic vaccination campaign together. So whoever wants to speak either for 0.15 or 0.16, you can use it during this debate. And we can start now with our two points, 0.15 and 0.16. And I would like to welcome Hans Henley Kluge, the regional director for Europe of the World Health Organization. Dear Dr. Kluge, it's great to have you here today with us. I want to welcome you at the Committee of the Region's plenary for this very interesting discussion and debate. And I would like to say that since the outbreak of COVID one year ago, more than 2 million people have tragically lost their lives. As we all know by now, the EU agreed an unprecedented budget, investment and vaccine plan. And in this common effort, cohesion and solidarity must be our guiding compass. We must avoid competition for vaccines between member states and within member states. We must put all our efforts in avoiding a vaccine divide between our regions, cities, villages, which would create health inequalities and exacerbate people's difficulties. Solidarity, not a needless vaccine war led by nationalism, is the only path back to normality. We must hold companies legally accountable, but controlling the distribution of medicine is anti-European, while restricting their export needs clear rules. We also need a better use of our medical research to protect every European citizen's and benefit the world. The pandemic has shown that we need to make our communities more resilient and all of our governments at European, national and regional level more responsive. We have to analyse and, if needed, rethink the use of competencies in health and we need to be open to changing our governance structures. Local and regional governments are a vital partner, not a second class player in preparing, responding, managing and recovering from disasters. We also need to be united in the face of misinformation. Local and regional leaders are the most trusted level of government in Europe and play a fundamental role to tackle the lies about the safety of medicines. As representatives of all EU's regional local authorities, we stand ready to launch an EU-wide campaign with the European Commission and the World Health Organization. Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, today our committee will sign its action plan with the World Health Organization, right at the end of this debate. In this context, I welcome Dr. Kluge and we thank him and the World Health Organization for their tireless effort and their tireless work throughout this year, especially during the pandemic. We must think and act both globally and locally to tackle pandemics, to save lives and to secure jobs. Dr. Kluge, I would welcome the World Health Organization as a partner of our 2021 local and regional barometer, so together we can assess and review how to improve health resilience in our regional cities and villages. Let us all hope that the light at the end of the tunnel that we can now finally see is not that far. And let us try to unite our forces and with the help of the European Union of the World Health Organization, not only to tackle this huge health crisis, but at the same time to work all together for the recovery. The recovery of the European Union, the recovery of our regions, our cities and villages. And we can win, we can prevail and we will. Dr. Kluge, the floor is yours. Dear President, Apostolos Citicostas, representatives of the region, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. I am very happy to be here today at the European Committee of the Regions to both sign an agreement to continue the productive partnership between our two organizations as well as to discuss COVID-19. In times like these, the unwavering support of the European Union and its institutions to the World Health Organization, building on the past, collaborating in the present and planning for the future is crucial. I'd like to express my appreciation for the European Union support in recent weeks to strengthening the international health regulations on which WHO bases much of its emergency preparedness and response work, as well as the key role that the EU has played in establishing the COVAX facility within the vaccine pillar of the access to COVID-19 tools Act Accelerator. As the President was telling, we are now more than one year into an unprecedented pandemic. To date, the European region is the second worst affected of all world regions, accounting for more than one third of both reported cases and deaths globally. Some 37 countries in the region have started vaccinations, administering close to 30 million doses. The development and approval of safe, effective vaccines less than a year after the emergence of a new virus is a stunning scientific achievement. But let me be clear, COVID-19 vaccines are not a silver bullet that can stop this pandemic by themselves, but they will reduce the burden of disease and save lives. It is very important to explain to the people why the vaccination is aiming for now. First, it aims to protect the people most vulnerable, the elderly people, and the people most exposed, the healthcare workers. So it is not yet to eliminate or eradicate and to have this narrative very clearly explained to the people is crucial, particularly as the narrative of vaccines. We know also a lot of discussions about AstraZeneca. Sometimes the narrative for the people comes as a little bit complex and confusing. And that's why a very simple, clear communication strategy from the governments, from the leaders of the regions, is so important to the people that they know what is the plan, when am I going to be vaccinated, and let's take this unprecedented interest of the people into health as a positive moment, a educational moment. We should not forget that this is not routine immunization. My friends, this is pandemic immunization, the largest, most ambitious global vaccination effort in history since Edward Jenner in 1796, for the first time inoculated the COPOX vaccine. And as we predicted, the demand for vaccines is far greater than the supply at this very early stage. The sheer scale of vaccine rollout is enormous and so are the challenges. Frustration due to an inconsistent flow of vaccines is understandable. Vaccine production and rollout will take time. The key here is solidarity. I will always advocate for solidarity as a moral principle but also a pragmatic principle. It has to deal with regional and global security. No one is safe until everyone is safe. Producing sufficient doses of the vaccines depends on international cooperation. If countries come together through research, manufacturing capacity, procurement and investment in delivery, unprecedented speed can be achieved. We are seeing many positive developments, otherwise competing pharmaceutical companies are now agreeing to help each other to boost the production capacity. And I also saw statements in this regard from the President of the European Commission. The WHO has repeatedly called for action to ensure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. It is a global public good. No one country, no one region should have access to more than it needs while other countries and regions have limited or no supplies. This is why the COVAX facility is of such importance. A fair distribution of vaccines is the right thing to do for moral, economic and security reasons. That is why I call to the people of Europe for patience and understanding. I also understand until the production capacity of COVID-19 vaccines is getting up to speed. It is normal that there will be some collision between international solidarity and national responsibility. But I am confident that some delays in vaccine production will be compensated by new products coming to the market and by ramping up the production capacity. So yes, there is reason for hope in the form of vaccines, but we are far from being out of the woods. We all know about the variants, the virus of concern. As of today in the European region, the pan-European region, 37 countries have reported variants of concern, of which 17, the virus originally identified in South Africa. This is not a new virus. It will not bring another second pandemic. It does not change the way how to fight the virus, but it is a cruel reminder that the virus still has the upper hand. Somehow it is a normal evolution of a virus that tries to survive in its human host. But am I concerned? Yes, I am concerned, because first the virus transmits faster. More people being infected. It means that health systems, which are stressed today, will have more difficulties tomorrow. Number two, we are very vigilant, watching what it means for the effectiveness of the vaccines. And third, there are some preliminary reports which show that people can be reinfected with the new variant. The impact of the pandemic is therefore far-reaching and long-term. Its effect on mental health is felt everywhere, in every quarter of our society. There is a parallel pandemic of mental health issues. And that's why WHO is launching the Mental Health Coalition under the auspices of the Queen of all Belgians, Queen Matilde, who is appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General as the Sustainable Development Goal Advocate for Health. COVID-19 has also exacerbated risks of food insecurity and scarcity, while unhealthy diets have added to the burden of non-communicable diseases. The pandemic further disrupted health services and forced national health systems to reallocate resources. Today is World Cancer Day. It is concerning to acknowledge that one in three countries in the European region have partially or completely disrupted cancer services, directly impacting the chances of cure or survival for hundreds of thousands of cancer patients. This morning, with the President of Georgia, I launched the WHO Pan-European Initiative on Cancer, United Action Against Cancer, with the ambitious goal to end cancer as a life-threatening disease in the European region. And I appointed a WHO European Cancer Ambassador, Mr. Arn Anderson from Sweden. The initiative will go from grassroots to the political level. And with the head of state of Georgia, we are very committed. As we agreed with the Health Commissioner Dr Stella Kiriakidis to have synergies close collaboration with the Europe Beating Cancer Plan and congratulations to Commissioner Kiriakidis for having launched the plan today. Dear colleagues, dear friends, what we have seen over the past months in our cities and towns where two-thirds of the population of the European region lives is that strong local governance is a factor behind successful pandemic mitigation. Local governments, regions have been and are at the forefront of curtailing the pandemic. Cities are epicenters in this emergency, not only in terms of community and country-wide transmission but also as points of healthcare and travel and trade hubs. Cities are the closest level of government to people. And during my first meeting with President Siti Kostas, I reassured him how committed I am to the cities, to the regions. Because there are also key to sharing experiences and fighting misinformation as service providers and central elements of a sustainable future. A couple of months ago, I established the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development. Let my former European Commissioner and former Prime Minister of Italy, Professor Mario Monti, the findings will be presented at the WTO Region Committee in September this year. I tasked this independent commission with rethinking policy priorities in the light of pandemics. Current challenges call for rethinking our priorities and finding new ways of walking. The European region is fortunate to have already made strides in that direction, seeking to achieve equity in health and understanding the critical relevance of its social, economic and environmental determinants. Because this is not the last pandemic. The Monte Commission is closely looking at the interactions between human health, animal health, environmental health and anti-microbial resistance. We know by the year 2040, 70% of the world population will live in cities. Respected colleagues and friends, you have such an important governance role. Today, WTO Europe and the Committee of the Regents, as Mr President was mentioning, will be renewing our partnership by signing a new memorandum of understanding, as well as accompanying action plan. Based on my vision, the European Programme of Work 2020-2025 United Action for Better Health in Europe, EPW. The political priorities of the European Committee of the Regents in 2020-25, its annual work programmes and the new European Commission Programme for Health 2021-27, form the bedrock on which our partnership lies. This is a significant milestone towards bringing our work in line with our targets. Our partnership I believe, I strongly believe, is about meeting people's expectations to their governments to secure universal healthcare without financial hardship. Making the most of the knowledge and governance of one million local and regional European politicians in terms of health in their constituency, and a robust post-COVID-19 recovery with resilient health systems and strong primary healthcare for thriving communities. I hope that I can count on the full involvement of the Committee of the Regents in WTO's flagship initiatives, the Mental Health Coalition, Empowerment through Digital Health, the European Immunisation Agenda 2030 and Healthier Behavours. I would like to thank the Committee of the Regents for its participation at last September's session of the WTO Region Committee for Europe, with member Birgitta Sacredeus underlining the role of local regional authorities in the fight against COVID-19. And let me also thank the Committee of the Regents for lending its strong voice to the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Finally, let me express my most sincere thanks to President Apostolos Citicostas and our friends at the European Committee of the Regents for making this agreement a reality. With this goodwill and commitment, I look forward to bringing our common vision of equitable health for all in the European region to life. Thank you very much. Mr Truge, I thank you very much. Not only for being here today to discuss this very, very interesting topic, but also for the great, fantastic work you have done in the World Health Organization. We are lucky as Europeans and as European leaders to have you in charge of the World Health Organization in Europe. And the agreements and the work, the collaborations that we have will be strengthened even more in the future, starting today. And I want you to know that the Committee of the Regents and all the regions and cities in Europe will stand as strong allies of the World Health Organization and of yourself. So thank you again for this introductory remark. And I would like to give the floor now to Olga Geblevich from the EPP. Thank you very much, Mr President. Thank you very much, Mr Kluge, on behalf of the EPP Group. I would like to thank you for very stimulating intervention. I believe that by drawing right conclusions from the COVID-19 health crisis and offering solutions for the future preparedness and response, WHO can inspire trust and provide guidance for regional and local governments across Europe. It is important now more than ever that global organizations such as WHO can work together with all levels of governments to protect lives and livelihoods. We trust in common European approach for procurement of vaccines. The alternative would be total chaos resulting in the 27 member states competing for their vaccines, thus leaving many Europeans behind. Therefore, now is the moment for us to express our full support for the leadership of the Commission in urging the developers to step up the production and speed up the supply of vaccines. Mr Kluge, my region, West Pomerania region in Poland, as well as many other regions and local governments in Europe, have the responsibility for preparing the infrastructure, medical equipment, healthcare, workforces needed to carry out the vaccinations. As the level closes to the citizens, we are ready to support the national vaccination strategies and campaigns with transparent, targeted and reliable communication. In parallel, we all have to continue to follow the safety measure to put in place in our countries and regions to contain the spread of the virus. But we will only get out of this crisis and defeat COVID-19 when all people have access to safe and efficient vaccines. Thank you very much for your attention. Thank you very much, Mr Gieblewicz. And I would like to give the floor now to a visionary European regional leader and the person who has done a fantastic work in her region in tackling the pandemic, Madrid, Ms Isabel Diaz Aluso. Isabel, the floor is yours. How are you? Good afternoon to all. Thank you very much. Dear President, and thank you to Dr Kluge for his exposure. Dear friends of the regional committee, as everyone knows, Europe is facing this third wave of COVID-19, which has faced 20 million Europeans and has left almost half a million dead, 100,000 in this last month. We already have three companies, three laboratories with the vaccines facilitated by the European Agency for Medicine, but this is not enough. We have the responsibility of the regions, many of them in health care, and we have to face this situation. On the other hand, Madrid has set off to a new hospital with more than 1,000 beds, which is precisely what Dr Kluge was trying to do so as not to have to postpone operations or tests, and we have done more than 5 million antigen tests to cut the transmission chains. But we have to continue to apply other measures, selective locks to prevent us from perusing more of the economy, as is happening in many places, that this especially hurts mental health and also the spirit of our citizens, and even more. And for this, what is needed is to talk again about vaccination, because vaccines do not arrive, and we urgently need more doses. We have to study the possibility that it can be manufactured in all the countries of the European Union negotiating the patent. We have to study all the possibilities that are in our hands, to look for common strategies on the borders to be able to compete with the United States. We are still 3% of Europe vaccinated, only 3% in front of 58, for example in Israel, or 14.5% of the European Union, and therefore we have to be all at the level of trying to fight this tear together, because it would be catastrophic for our health, for our economy, and also something very important for the common image of this project of free citizens, just like the European Union. Therefore, we have to study the way to continue buying vaccines and to finish, once and for all, in a desperate game with this emergency situation. I want to thank the role played by the Committee of Regions and in this case its president, a great European leader, for bringing this debate. And I hope that we will approve this resolution today. But yes, it is a desperate move to the European Union to put on the table this debate, to finally get these vaccines in a way that is now desperate. We are having the order of 3,000 dead every day and we cannot continue like this. This is an unsupportable pain, a burden for us, for our common project. That is why I am convinced that we have to put everything that is in our hands to bring these vaccines and to show that we are a free project, as I say, of citizens who work together for all citizens, starting with the most vulnerable ones. Thank you very much, everyone. Thank you very much, Isabel. The floor now to Natalie Sárez-Zoles from the PES Group. Thank you, Mr. President, Mr. Director. First of all, I would like to thank you for your presence with us today. The World Health Organization has done an important job following the emergence of the pandemic in 2019 and this work, even if we can still do it better, has allowed us to save lives of many. Today, in Europe, we are in the phase of vaccination and I am proud to remember that, as part of my political family, the solidarity, a principle as moral as pragmatic, you said it just before, the solidarity has prevailed in Europe. The European Union members, whatever their size, obtained vaccines the same day. However, and it was said by other orators, today, the important problems appear, especially with large pharmaceutical companies who do not respect their commitments. We can fear the appearance of a vaccine nationalism and at this point, I would like to ask you of the WHO to face this situation that you have described yourself earlier. Indeed, we can fear that the international cooperation will not be put into place when it is the basis of the fight against a virus that does not know, of course, neither far nor border. In the life of the Committee of the Regions on the European program for health, it is recommended to give the Union important capacity for production of medical materials, but also of medicine. And besides, beyond the European Union, it is essential to play the solidarity and avoid the territorial competition in order to allow equality against vaccination. I therefore believe that the World Health Organization has a great responsibility to maintain cooperation and I hope that you can give us work tracks on which you work. We also note in several countries of the Union that the States cannot rely on their region and their cities to accelerate vaccination with existing stocks. Already, our territory has been in the first line to face the first effects of the pandemic, despite the lack of transparency and lack of apparent trust. You said it, the collectivities were the launch of the fight against the pandemic and the first interlocutor of citizens and citizens. So your organization would have recommendations in terms of decentralization of public responses to face a pandemic and to be more effective. And finally, I would like to address a last question with you. Your organization can clearly help us better prepare for the future of the pandemic. You said it, it's not the last one. It seems in effect today that we do not buy it anymore. What do you advise us to do? More cooperation at the European level. Finally, you yourself addressed the subject. Do you think that it is now necessary to strengthen the skills of the European Union in terms of health, by particularly supporting us on territorial collectivities? It may be a little out of your domain but you yourself addressed it and I find it interesting to have your visit. In any case, let's defend us within the PSC group of the European Commission. I would like to thank you for your attention and for your answers to come. And once again, thank you for being with us today. Thank you very much for your intervention. I would like to give the floor now to Francisco Iguia Arisqueta from the New Europe Group. The floor now to Roberto Ciampeti from the Isia Group. Thank you President. In terms of the director of the Committee of Regions on the Future of the Union of Health, this topic is particularly important to me. No citizen, no company, no region and no state could have overcome the pandemic. This has affected the whole world, from China to my region, the Veneto where I am the president of the regional council. In the first days of the pandemic, among the member states, for the provision of masks, and now almost a year from the beginning of the same, we see that some member states are passing the community agreements to obtain more vaccine doses through bilateral agreements, putting in discussion the principle of solidarity among the member states. We have taken the decision of the European Union to adopt a common strategy in the matter of vaccination, but we are in the process of making progress. The enthusiasm of December 27, given in which the first countries have started to vaccinate in public, seems to be a too far memory. In Italy, as in many other countries, we had to review the plans for the vaccination, after pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer announced that they would have reduced the doses. And now we have to do everything to receive the second. If we really want to achieve the goal of a vaccine quota of 70% between the summer and time to change the route. And then I ask you, how can we guarantee that the multinational pharmaceutical companies do not change the amount of vaccine doses agreed by member states? If we do not increase the availability of doses and if we do not accelerate on the spread of vaccines, we will constrain directly to pharmaceutical companies. There have been many discussions about the transparency of the contracts on vaccinated patients from the European Commission. This has certainly helped to strengthen disinformation and uncertainty that surrounds vaccination. At this moment we should inform and encourage the citizens to vaccinate. According to what Eudra Villigens reports, the European database for the management and analysis of the signs of the authorised scenarios in Europe on January 30, 2021, was reported 26,849 and 20 adverse to the COVID Pfizer vaccine. The state with more than 20 adverse was about 32,55% in Italy, with 8,740 cases of which 7,800 cases were serious. What is the statistics on this? Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Francisco Ijea Arisquietta from Renew Europe, please. Thank you very much, Mr. President. In fact, we face the most dramatic moment of the European Union at its most decisive moment. As I said, thousands of people lose their lives every day in our European Union. But not only that, our economy is in danger and also our political project of a united Europe. If the citizens do not come at this moment, the effective response of Europe the project will be in danger. That is why we have to thank the European Union its policy of buying vaccines. And that is why it is very important to clarify all the doubts that we get to vaccinate with speed and that we get to transmit to the population something important. During a crisis, during the sinking of a ship, it cannot be subjected to the wild boars in a dark room. In this crisis, it cannot be that the free market works with a gun aiming at the head of the buyers to look at prices, to have vaccines. We also have to maintain the principles of the free market, but also of the humanitarian right, that we will all be equal in this crisis. That is what it has to transmit now, Europe to its citizens, to the countries that live in the European Union. In this crisis no one will stay behind. We will not leave anyone behind. We will behave as we are, as a project of solidarity, as a project of civility. And we will defend naturally the private initiative which is the one that makes possible the advances that are possible in development, but it has to be done with justice and it has to be done with transparency. There cannot be more hidden contracts. We have to be the powerful community that defends its citizens, yes, but also with transparency and solidarity. I am talking to you today from a region in which one of each thousand of our citizens is now admitted to our hospitals. I am talking to you today from a country that asks the European Union to demonstrate its strength and its power, but also its cohesion and its common criteria. We also have to make a call to the European Center for Disease Control so that we are able to implement homogeneous measures with homogeneous criteria, so that all citizens understand that the restrictions that are necessary we take them all in agreement and we take them only under the criteria of scientific evidence. This is the final moment for the European Union and I am sure that with the help of everyone we will advance and that this project, the project of a free and equal citizens in Europe will be reinforced after this crisis. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. The floor now to Carl Van Luve from the EA Group. Thank you President Thank you Dr. Kluge. I will speak Dutch, Dr. Kluge, but I also know that we could also speak Dutch. Here today it is indeed a very important and also a very sensitive topic. Indeed, the solidarity between the member states, the part states between the regions must be raised. Last year we have lost more than half a million Europeans due to Covid. Our health systems came under pressure and our fundamental rights and freedoms were banned. For the social, especially the economic and of course the health impact, a halt to be called, is now full on the outcome of the vaccination. Unfortunately we have to admit that there are still still problems. It is going slow, there is a lack of transparency and it is also not always efficient. There was also a popular argument between the European Commission and AstraZeneca that almost turned out to be a diplomatic issue. The so-called vaccine nationalism, where first before was warned but suddenly a strategy to free the pre-vaccine in the European Union. That this would create an explosive situation between the United Kingdom and Ireland through the article of the North European protocol was, unfortunately, completely forgotten. But even so, it is a tragic vaccine not only the responsibility of the European Union, but also the state, the local authorities must take on their responsibility and make solidarity. Certainly, they are close to the citizens and so the eyes and ears are on the train. We here in Flanders who are now fully busy with the vaccination campaign with vaccination villages and test villages. If we want to strengthen the vaccination in the population, we need more transparency, more efficiency, as well as the European Commission. Other policy levels, the Committee of the Regions, the pharmaceutical companies can do it better. And this in the interest of our people's health to quickly return to the country. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. The floor now to Caroline Dwayne Stanley from the Greens. Okay, so we move on now and we open the floor to our members for one minute each. Let me start with our first Vice President Vasco Cordeiro. Thank you, President. Thank you very much. I think that the issues that were brought to our attention not only through the invitation of our not only through the intervention of our guest, but also from the members carried through three or four message, very, very important at this time. And I think that the European Commission is very, very important in the way that we are dealing with this issue right now. Third, the common effort to achieve United Front against the pandemic. And also the need to stress the point concerning transparency, not only at European level, but also at national level. Can not only be related with the out issues, but also from a democratic point of view of strengthening the position of the European Union and strengthening the position of the national and local and regional authorities. Thank you, President. Thank you very much, Vasco, for being on time and I thank you also for chairing part of the plenary earlier today. I would like to give the floor now to Mr. Alvin Dwayne Stanley, from the Greens, who is connected. Okay, there seems to be a problem, I guess. So we will move to Gunther Platter, please. Miss Paula Fernandez-Biana. Thank you President. Mr. Clujen, I defend the idea that vaccines against COVID-19 have to be considered as a world public good. This pandemic has put us to test. It tests our principles and our fundamental values. El desarrollo ya lo haya aprobado vacunas seguras y eficaces en menos de un año desde que apareció el virus es un logro científicamente increíble, pero ahora hay que garantizar el éxito en la distribución de las vacunas y hay que hacerlo conforme a los principios de equidad, de eficacia, de respeto a lo acordado y de solidaridad. Quiero destacar el peligro real que existe actualmente en cuanto al suministro de vacunas. En mi región, por ejemplo, en Cantabria nos preocupa la escasez y los incumplimientos por parte de las empresas farmacéuticas. No se puede jugar con la vida de las personas. En Cantabria, como en otras regiones europeas, contamos con un sistema sanitario muy preparado y bien organizado para administrar las dosis. Pedimos que la Unión Europea, la Organización Mundial de la Salud presionen a las empresas farmacéuticas para que entreguen las dosis de las vacunas que están establecidas en los contractos. Es necesario que los gobiernos, los fabricantes de las vacunas y la comunidad internacional actúen de manera ausente para llevar a la práctica el imperativo de la equidad en la administración de las vacunas que, repito, acabo como en PT. Deben de estar consideradas un bien público mundial. Muchas gracias, presidente. Muchas gracias. Mr. Sauschberger, please. Herr Präsident, meine Damen und Herren, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, ich möchte nur ganz kurz auf die Entschließungen eingehen, und zwar auf den Punkt 14, denn es geht ja im Wesentlichen darum, welche Konsequenzen wir auch ziehen. Aber als Konsequent der Corona-Pandemie nun eine Debatte über europarechtliche Kompetenz fragen, im Gesundheitsbereich anzustoßen, das greift meines Erachtens doch etwas zu kurz. Es müssen vielmehr die Erfahrungen mit der gemeinsamen europäischen Impfstrategie zum Anlass genommen werden, die Reaktionen der EU, der Mitgliedsstaaten und der Regionen und Kommunen auf den Ausbruch der Covid-19-Pandemie umfassend zu evaluieren, sowie daraus die richtigen Schlussfolgerungen für die Zukunft zu ziehen. Darüber hinaus möchten wir in unserem Abänderungsantrag, dass die Zulassungsverfahren für die Covid-19-Impfstoffe und die Verhandlungen über den Zugang zu den Impfstoffen auch transparent geführt werden. Das wurde ja schon mehrfach erwähnt. Dies ist notwendig, um das immer mehr schwindende Vertrauen der Bevölkerung in diese Verfahren und in die Verhandlungen zu stärken. Und ich würde mich daher sehr freuen, wenn hier eine Mehrheit unseren Abänderungsantrag zustimmen kann. Thank you. Mr. Woss burned the floor. This is yours. Yes, thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Dr. Kluge. It stays with us green. The European approach is the right exit of the crisis. National agreements are not the right answer. We need the European coordination, transparency, efficiency and security. And of course transparency must also be made for the delay in the delivery of the Impfstoffe and the Commission and the Council. And that is completely natural. They will have to be criticized, that they have given too much of the farmer lobby and that they are too transparent and are too much of a secret service. And it will have to be considered, whether the article 122 from the EU contract will be taken, must be given to the patent to free possible capacities for the production of vaccines that we also have in Europe. We will fight against the virus, namely also with us, only then we will win when we help the access and distribution of the Impfstoffe in other countries, because worldwide, regardless of the welfare, to make sure. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. The word now to Brigitte Sacredeus. Well, first of all, I want to express that we are with the Committee of Regents are very happy that we have a member under of understanding with WHO. And I also want to remind everyone that in 19 out of the 27 member states is the local and regional responsible for the health system. That means that we need to work with best practice. We need to help each other. And I'm looking forward to work with WHO and the Committee of Regents with the health issues, the mental health issues, especially, is so important during the pandemic. And also it will be after the pandemic. So we are looking forward to work with the WHO. Thank you very much. Tobias Gotthard, the floor is yours. Thank you, Mr. President, Mr. Director Kluge. Europe's path from the pandemic will only work through vaccination. And yes, we need patience, but we also need, out of our political responsibilities, the full commitment for the people. And the goal must therefore be the vaccination of the people now sufficient and transparent with vaccines to come. If this does not work in the free market, you have to choose the right path of the European vaccination strategy partly to correct and find solutions. That holds to me the possibility of national pressure to increase the vaccination resources in a short time. For emergency measures against taxes, which offer us travel expenses and national patent laws, where the pure market does not work, the state must act. We now serve the vaccination of our people. Thank you. Thank you. You are OK. Softly, yeah. The floor is yours. Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Dr. Kluge, for your very interesting presentation. You have started your career as a family doctor in my home country, Belgium, and you have always been committed to helping the most vulnerable. And this is also very important for the vaccination strategy. Equal access to vaccines is crucial. And one of the most vulnerable territories in Europe today are undoubtedly the rural areas. The COVID-19 crisis has magnified many of the known problems in the rural areas. Most importantly, we have to change our way of thinking and make policies also from the perspective of rural areas. In this respect, I hope and I count not only on the European Commission, but also on the international organizations, such as the WHO, to better consider and target the rural areas. Thank you very much for your attention. Thank you. The floor now to Gronius Markowskas. The floor to our colleague, London. The floor to our colleague, Tranka. The floor to our colleague, Haglom. Thank you, Mr. President. I take it in Swedish to all the viewers. Here in Åland, we have 30,000 people. We have two in the hospital. We haven't had any deaths, so I just want to tell you that we have had... We have completed the pandemic incredibly well so far. And perhaps the WHO should control why we are able to do so. Because we have... Christensbotta in Åland, we are dependent on tourism. It has been quite closed down a lot. But then we have had... And we have had the most open society in Europe. There are positive places in Europe, and we are one of them. And we are happy to allow it. And we hope that when everyone else gets it as good as we have it. But welcome here and see how we have completed it. Our government has been very good in its information. But we have had an open society. Thank you. Thank you very much. Our colleague, Wupp. Please. Mr. Kluge, thank you for the very interesting, optimistic and realistic lecture. We have a lot of homework in the region. We work hard on the fight. The pandemic here in Berlin, like in many other cities, Europe and certainly worldwide. The Soledadinsk idea is very central. We have to strengthen it, despite the difficult information situation and the challenges and that people are also patient. The vaccination campaign is very important. Too few people are ready to be vaccinated. And that will become important at some point. They say that cooperation is the key, certainly with production, with fair distribution. These are the points that are becoming more and more important now. The production is, I think, a sign that we have a big deficit there. You say that vaccination is a global public good. I would also like to agree very much. What recommendations do you have, Mr. Kluge? How do you now organize the production to increase from your point of view to the global point of view with the various producers who are worldwide with license questions and the same more? Thank you very much. Thank you. Our colleague Mark Auskas, please. Mr. President, Dr. Kluge, we welcome the European Union and the WHO cooperation in COVID-19 vaccine rollout. A successful vaccination campaign needs engagement of local and regional authorities, especially from rural region, like my often-climbed district in Visnien. With limited doses of vaccines, we are now vaccinating doctors, social workers and home care residents and plan to vaccinate teachers next week. Our plan relies on avoidance of major disruptions, such as delays of vaccine supply or transportation. As was recently in the case in Visnien, where batch of vaccine was compromised while in transport. How can WHO and the European Commission work with the Committee of Region to promote cooperation at the local and regional level and effective inclusion of the local and regional authorities in vaccination campaign? Thank you. Thank you very much. Ms. Harpanen, please. Thank you, Mr. President. I come from northern part of Finland and our government has been overall informing the citizens quite well about the situation. But moreover, it is very important that the local and regional authorities can react also quickly. So in each town and city, we have a group of people who are able to make quite quick decisions what comes to the opening of the schools or hobbies or public places. So I think this quick to be able to do decisions quickly according to the needs of the community. This is very important and the good cooperation between the local authorities and local decision makers, politicians, this is important. What I'm really concerned is our youth and then because they suffer a lot as well as elderly people of being isolated. And I think after the COVID, the much attention must be paid also to the social well-being and recovery and healing the psychological problems that our citizens might be facing after these hard times. Thank you very much, Sato. And last but not least, our colleague, Pettersen. Thank you. When I, in 2016, on the same day, Wilcox took the initiative to create cooperation between the regional authorities and the WHO, to create a connection between the WHO, the state and the regions to create an important coordination. And now we have seen in the pandemic how important it is. We saw how the start of the pandemic was a little difficult to create cooperation with what has come at the beginning. And we now have a good cooperation at the European level. And therefore I was really happy for Mr. Kluge's words about solidarity and international cooperation as an important consideration to come forward. And it is at least a consideration that we together can fight the pandemic. So I look forward to a continued strong cooperation with the WHO, both with a strong energy but also synergy. Thank you. Thank you. Now I give the floor to Dr. Kluge for your final reaction. And then we will co-sign the memorandum of understanding. Thank you, Mr. President. And I must say that this has been an incredibly rich session. So I will, for the sake of time, I will go into detail about the number of points, particularly those which has been raised directly to me, starting from Mr. Sara Bezolles Natali. So on the vaccination nationalism, extremely important point, and several of the colleagues have come back to that one on the issue of solidarity. In fact, we see this is a very big stress test of solidarity. The solidarity was not optimal in the beginning of the pandemic when we saw different hiccups during the procurement of the personal protective equipment, the masks, et cetera. So we really have to try to avoid that this happens a second time. And I myself sitting in Copenhagen here, I'm looking at the 53 member states or the Pan-European region. So I have this even a broader image. So a number of points, what we are doing WHO, Europe, is the moral imperative. We stand very strong on the principle of solidarity, both as a moral principle and ethical and pragmatic. Second, we are very active. Also, me personally, every single day, I have calls with leaders, with prime ministers, presidents, governors on redistribution of vaccines. According to the Duke Global Health Innovation Centre, the United Kingdom purchased quantities of the vaccine that equate 5.5 doses per person. In the United States, 3.7. In Canada, 9.6. And we know most of the EU countries have not opted out of any agreements. So while there's a shortage today, the agreements encompass a far higher number of doses that are required. So this redistribution is very important. One example, two days ago, I had a very productive call with the Ministry of Health of San Marino. And there I would like to thank really the Ministry of Health of Italy, because we are walking with the Ministry of Health of Italy, the European Commission Pfizer, on a redistribution. Because sometimes we speak about small quantities. As I mentioned, we're working with pharmaceutical companies also to see how the production capacity can be beefed up. And then very important, we are working with the countries on not only the vaccine, but what we call the vaccination. So the preparedness, because that should not be underestimated. I think many of you have this experience on the legal issues, on indemnity, liability, the cold chain, creating the demand, decreasing vaccine hesitancy, preparing the workforce. So this is a whole spectrum. And in fact, I would like to express appreciation to Commissioner Oliver Varheely of Neighborhood. We're walking through support from them in the Balkan and the Eastern partnership. And I fully support your idea on scaling up production based on licensing within the framework of the WTO trips flexibility. On the governance, this is something that we are studying right now with the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, which looking at how countries were pushing back the pandemic compared with their governance models. And then how to prepare for the future? Two points here. We are very supportive of the European Health Union, the EU for Health package. I always say a stronger EU is a stronger WHO, a stronger WHO is a stronger EU. And there I would like to reach out to all of you, to your leverage, to watch, to ensure, to advocate, that there is a good synergy in the EU for Health between WHO and the European institutions, including a financial contribution because WHO is asked to do a lot, right? Where the resources have to follow. The other issue that we walk on very hard, and I mentioned it in my opening remarks for the future, is the Monte Commission. There is a specific walking group on international governance. What are the recommendations, including on WHO reform, and big international institutions like the International Monetary Fund, which could help for better preparedness for the future? I would like to thank the representative of the Veneto region, Mr. Chambetti Roberto, also for the support of the WHO office in Veneto, and the agreement is being renewed, thank you. Interregion solidarity was mentioned. This is terribly important. In no way we can go to a society in Europe where it will be survival of the fittest. And this is not so far off because there is light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel will be a little longer than I thought end of December. So the younger people are becoming logically very impatient. So we cannot go back to, and especially with the variants, if people be reinfected, it means herd immunity. The goal will be pushed back if people be reinfected, including people who are vaccinated. Now we have to think, do you need a booster in some time? Do we need other vaccines, like for the flu vaccine? We have to adapt the flu vaccine because the virus is changing. So in the region solidarity, we need to keep strong. Very nice to see my compatriot, Mr. Karl van Looven from Nieporth, and Madame Chauvelier was mentioning, I started my career as a general practitioner in Belgium, in fact, in Lombardsijde with Dr. Lones and Nieporth with Dr. Sabbe. So my greetings to my home, Mr. van Looven. Next point is on the rural areas. Yes, this is very important. In terms of health workforce, we have more and more what we call medical deserts in rural areas. So this is a priority for the walk, strengthening primary healthcare, but also again, I always try to take a positive view. We have seen a lot of very good examples of digital medical consultations in rural area, including also in Scandinavia, to leave no one behind and product the vulnerable. Thank you again, Madame Sacredeus Birgit for pointing out your strong commitment, which I reciprocate to walk together, not at least mental health. Mental health is really a top priority over here. Thank you, Mr. Hagblum Birgit, for to be invited to your region. I'm very curious. I really would like to come. I mean, Sweden is not so far here because in Sweden as a country, we saw a higher number of cases and deaths compared with others Scandinavian countries, but your region must have them very well and congratulations. It is possible, absolutely, and this depends not on leadership. Well done. And then finally, I welcome the EU Health Legislative Package, right? And I would like also to welcome the efforts of Commissioner Kirakidis, in and commissioner in general on the advanced procurement mechanism and the heads of state of the member states to negotiate with manufacturers the delivery and scale up of vaccines. And of course, I understand the frustration, but somehow I see this as a silver lining in the darkness that after the debacle and the mis-happening of the procurement of personal protective equipment, the EU somehow pulled itself together for these vaccines. And now we have to work together to hammer out the teasing problems. Dear colleagues, I must say this is a tremendously fantastic session. Mr. President, please do invite me and I'm very much looking forward to a very pragmatic collaboration. Thank you. Thank you very much, Dr. Kluge. It was a very interesting debate. Our members enjoyed it and I'm really looking forward in working with the World Health Organization in the near future. Let us now move to the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the European Committee of the Regions and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. And I would like to give the floor for a brief statement to the NUT Chair, Ms. Udrika Landergren, please. Thank you, President Tsitsikostas and Director Kluge for this occasion to sign this memorandum of understanding between the Committee of the Regions and your organizations. We have had a very good cooperation between the NUT Commission and the World Health Organization, which has been established for many years ago. Many joint events have been organized between the NUT Commission and the World Health Organization, most notably during the European week of Regions and Cities. Just next Monday, you have mentioned it, our Rapporteur of the Health Union will be meeting with you and Oksana Domenti from the World Health Organization in order to discuss the ongoing NET opinion. Just remind them that the initial for this idea on the memorandum of understanding with the World Health Organization came from the current first-wise president of the National Council, Udo Pedersen, who also spoke earlier when he was the chairman of the core inter-regional group of health and well-being. I'm very looking forward to this signing and to continue the cooperation with you. Thank you. Thank you, Udrika, for your intervention. Dear Dr. Kluge, this pandemic has served to remind us, above all, how interconnected we are and how vital cooperation and partnership of all levels of government, European, national, regional, local, with global organizations such as yours and the private sector is. So only by working together and by working closer to our communities we will protect our people, businesses, lives and our economies. So I really hope that 2021 will be the year of global cooperation that will help us find the way through the pandemic and towards recovery, because recovery makes no mistake. We'll start from our regions and our cities and the strengthening of our cooperation today is an acknowledgement that we need each other with our own competencies, experiences and knowledge. We must think and act both locally and globally. As I said last time we met, the European Committee of the Regions is your partner, ally and friend. So the action plan for the next two years, embedded in our new memorandum of understanding, shows this ambition to cooperate for better, safer and more resilient cities and regions, for a better world. So let me now propose to you the signing of our memorandum. Dr. Kluge. Thank you very much, Mr. President. It is my great pleasure to sign now the very important agreement. I will not dwell because you have given me a lot of time to speak already. You know that I'm very committed to the regions. I strongly believe in the principles of leaving no one behind solidarity and equity, but also in a pragmatic way. We need the partnership. I am a man coming from the regions, from Flanders, from Belgium. So people are telling if you understand the government structure in Belgium, you can understand the government structure in any country. So I'm a great believer of the untapped potential of the regions and you can count on me and now, Mr. President, I'm ready to sign. Thank you, Dr. Kluge. I have signed it. So now it is your turn. Signed, Mr. President. Thank you very much for this great discussion, this great debate. Thank you for the signing of our memorandum. I'm sure we have great things to do.