TR
EN
The case of EU COVID-19 vaccine joint procurement: Legal framework and economic considerations
Abstract
Purpose – Briefly review the EU’s joint procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, clarifying the legal architecture (Emergency Support Instrument, Joint Procurement Agreement, subsequent reforms) and the economics of advance purchase agreements (APAs).
Methodology – Law-and-economics synthesis of EU legal instruments and institutional evaluations (European Court of Auditors, Ombudsman, General Court), complemented by descriptive evidence on authorisations and portfolio composition.
Findings – A layered emergency framework enabled rapid, centralised contracting and equitable allocation. APAs functioned as risk-sharing and capacity-reservation contracts: diversification across platforms accelerated authorisations in 2020–2021 but produced surplus commitments and accountability frictions; ex-post performance assessment was limited; transparency over contracts and communications was contested.
Conclusions – The joint approach met urgent supply goals yet exposed design and governance trade-offs. Future procurement should add volume flexibility and profit-sharing mechanisms, clearer standing legal bases, predefined disclosure protocols, and ex-ante evaluation metrics to align speed with accountability.
Keywords: COVID-19; joint procurement; advance purchase agreements; EU health law; transparency
JEL Codes: I18; H57; K23; O38.
Keywords
References
- Arroyo, J., Del Giovane, C., Mizsei, B., Vu, H., & Yu-Cheong Yeung, T. (2025). The EU vaccines strategy: A mixed bag of achievements and discontent. European Journal of Risk Regulation, 16, 653–669. https://doi.org/10.1017/err.2024.92
- Cohen, J. (2020, May 12). Unveiling “Warp Speed,” the White House’s America-first push for a coronavirus vaccine. Science. https://www.science.org/content/article/unveiling-warp-speed-white-house-s-america-first-push-coronavirus-vaccine
- Council of the European Union. (2016, March 15). Council Regulation (EU) 2016/369 on the provision of emergency support within the Union. Official Journal of the European Union, L 70, 1–6. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/369/oj/eng
- Council of the European Union. (2020, April 14). Council Regulation (EU) 2020/521 activating the emergency support under Regulation (EU) 2016/369 and amending its provisions. Official Journal of the European Union, L 117, 3–8. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/521/oj/eng
- Council of the European Union. (2022, October 24). Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2372 on a framework of measures for ensuring the supply of crisis-relevant medical countermeasures in the event of a public health emergency at Union level. Official Journal of the European Union, L 314, 64–78. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2372/oj/eng
- European Commission. (2014, April 10). Joint Procurement Agreement to procure medical countermeasures. https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/joint-procurement-agreement-procure-medical-countermeasures_en
- European Commission. (2020, June 17). Communication on the EU vaccines strategy (COM(2020) 245 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0245
- European Commission. (2020, July 15). Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Short-term EU health preparedness for COVID-19 outbreaks (COM(2020) 318 final). https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2014_2019/plmrep/AUTRES_INSTITUTIONS/COMM/COM/2020/10-28/COM_COM20200318ANN_EN.pdf
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Law and Economy, Law of International Law
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
April 29, 2026
Submission Date
October 3, 2025
Acceptance Date
February 1, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 26 Number: 1
APA
Sabolić, D., Dvornik, D., & Dvornik, N. (2026). The case of EU COVID-19 vaccine joint procurement: Legal framework and economic considerations. Sosyal Ekonomik Araştırmalar Dergisi, 26(1), 43-54. https://doi.org/10.30976/susead.1796217
AMA
1.Sabolić D, Dvornik D, Dvornik N. The case of EU COVID-19 vaccine joint procurement: Legal framework and economic considerations. SUSEAD. 2026;26(1):43-54. doi:10.30976/susead.1796217
Chicago
Sabolić, Dubravko, Darko Dvornik, and Nika Dvornik. 2026. “The Case of EU COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Procurement: Legal Framework and Economic Considerations”. Sosyal Ekonomik Araştırmalar Dergisi 26 (1): 43-54. https://doi.org/10.30976/susead.1796217.
EndNote
Sabolić D, Dvornik D, Dvornik N (April 1, 2026) The case of EU COVID-19 vaccine joint procurement: Legal framework and economic considerations. Sosyal Ekonomik Araştırmalar Dergisi 26 1 43–54.
IEEE
[1]D. Sabolić, D. Dvornik, and N. Dvornik, “The case of EU COVID-19 vaccine joint procurement: Legal framework and economic considerations”, SUSEAD, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 43–54, Apr. 2026, doi: 10.30976/susead.1796217.
ISNAD
Sabolić, Dubravko - Dvornik, Darko - Dvornik, Nika. “The Case of EU COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Procurement: Legal Framework and Economic Considerations”. Sosyal Ekonomik Araştırmalar Dergisi 26/1 (April 1, 2026): 43-54. https://doi.org/10.30976/susead.1796217.
JAMA
1.Sabolić D, Dvornik D, Dvornik N. The case of EU COVID-19 vaccine joint procurement: Legal framework and economic considerations. SUSEAD. 2026;26:43–54.
MLA
Sabolić, Dubravko, et al. “The Case of EU COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Procurement: Legal Framework and Economic Considerations”. Sosyal Ekonomik Araştırmalar Dergisi, vol. 26, no. 1, Apr. 2026, pp. 43-54, doi:10.30976/susead.1796217.
Vancouver
1.Dubravko Sabolić, Darko Dvornik, Nika Dvornik. The case of EU COVID-19 vaccine joint procurement: Legal framework and economic considerations. SUSEAD. 2026 Apr. 1;26(1):43-54. doi:10.30976/susead.1796217