A decision by a tribunal in Brussels ordering Romania to pay 600 million euros for anti-COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer that had been ordered but were ultimately not purchased has sparked an exchange of remarks between the former Health Ministers during the pandemic, Alexandru Rafila (Social Democratic Party - PSD) and Vlad Voiculescu (Save Romania Union - USR).
The Social Democrat maintains that the decision not to purchase 29 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, which Romania could not use, was the correct one.
'It would have been profoundly wrong to tie up the health budget in unnecessary stock that would later have been destroyed, merely to cover past errors. The situation we found at the Ministry of Health was clear: warehouses full of millions of expired doses, an additional procurement commitment for 39 million doses signed in May 2021, and, at the same time, declining public interest in vaccination. The evolution of viral variants and the reluctance of part of society significantly reduced real demand. We acted consistently to limit the effects of this situation. We managed to sell over 7.5 million doses to other countries, such as Germany and Hungary, and made donations to countries in need. Nevertheless, we were forced to destroy millions of expired doses, incurring additional costs,' Rafila wrote on Facebook.
According to him, there were numerous rounds of negotiations with Pfizer and representatives of the European Commission in an attempt to find a balanced solution for the remaining 29 million doses contracted in 2021.
'I personally took part in these discussions and kept the Prime Minister at the time, Nicolae Ciuca, constantly informed. I also requested the support of the European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, given that other countries, such as Poland and Hungary, were facing similar problems. Unfortunately, no favourable outcome for Romania was reached,' Alexandru Rafila stated.
In these circumstances, Pfizer initiated legal proceedings, he added.
'In a comparable situation, Moderna withdrew its claims. Had we accepted the purchase of these doses, Romania would not have had the storage capacity, and the additional costs for destroying the vaccines would have significantly increased the overall bill, also affecting public confidence in the usefulness of vaccination. We could not quietly sign off on huge payments without real benefits for Romanian patients (...) Defending Romania's interests in the face of a disproportionate contract is not a populist gesture, but a responsible one. Instead of waste, we chose investments that endure: hospitals, equipment, better services for patients,' Rafila said.
In response, former USR (Save Romania Union) Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu said that Romania did not lose the case because it made a wrong decision, but because it made no decision at all.
'Hundreds of millions of euros paid by Romanians because Minister Rafila avoided responsibility - by not signing the Pfizer offer, by not placing a memorandum on the agenda, by not presenting the issue to the Government. Around 400 million euros. Twenty-four Member States accepted Amendment 5. Poland and Hungary explicitly refused. Romania submitted no position. Romania said neither yes nor no. Nothing. This was shocking for the Commission, but it was not the first time Romania had let major opportunities pass. The deadline expired, and the Commission considered that Romania did not agree,' Voiculescu explained on Facebook.
'All in all, Romania would have saved over 260 million euros,' he added.
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