We use cookies on this site to provide you with an informative and engaging experience and also to help us to continually improve our site for you. Without allowing cookies certain features of the site will not be available. To learn more about how we use cookies, please view our cookie policy. By clicking on ‘I AGREE’, you consent to our use of cookies on this device in accordance with our policy.

Logo of Wolters Kluwer, Kluwer Law Online
European Foreign Affairs Review
Search content button

Home > All journals > European Foreign Affairs Review > 29(1) >

The EU’s Vaccine Diplomacy in the WHO

Cover image ofEuropean Foreign Affairs Review

$15.00 - Rental (PDF) *

$29.00 - Article (PDF) *

*service fee may apply
Download the PDF icon

The EU’s Vaccine Diplomacy in the WHO


European Foreign Affairs Review
Volume 29, Issue 1 (2024) pp. 35 – 66

https://doi.org/10.54648/eerr2024003



Abstract

COVID-19 has posed a serious challenge for the European Union (EU) since 2020. The EU has adopted vaccine diplomacy, among other measures, to tackle this global pandemic. The EU also applied the Advance Purchase Agreements (APA) and export control for the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021, and did not fully support a waiver for vaccine and medicine Intellectual Property (IP) in the 2022 WTO negotiation. This paper focuses primarily on the following core issues and questions: What is the concept of vaccine diplomacy? What are the theories, policy decisions, jurisprudence and practices of the EUs vaccine diplomacy? What is the strategy of the EU for cooperating with the WHO and the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator (COVAX)?What is the significance, and implications of EU vaccine diplomacy? The EU firmly supports WHO multilateralism and the COVAX framework for vaccine distribution and health cooperation. The EU also actively participates in WHO negotiations for a new health treaty, to respond effectively to future pandemics. This paper also suggests some ways to resolve the problem about how the EU can become a contracting party to the new WHO health treaty. Despite the fact that some policies such as the APA, vaccine export control and IP waiver were criticized by some other countries, the EUs vaccine diplomacy in the WHO is largely a great success. The EU vaccine diplomacy is expected to increase the EUs soft power and normative influence in the WHO, and contribute greatly to the health of European citizens, other human beings and a new emerging international health order.


Keywords

APA, COVAX, COVID-19, export control, EU, International Pandemic Treaty, vaccine diplomacy, WHO, WTO waiver


Extract




Subscribe to this journal

Interested in a subscription? Contact our sales team

Contribute to this journal

Go Directly to PeerEase! Submit Article

Browse by practice area
Share
Stay up to date


RSSETOC