Hungary looks east for Coronavirus vaccine with aim to begin mass production

Amid the rising cases of COVID-19, Hungary has reserved potential future vaccines from both Europe and the US, however, now the country is also in contact with Chinese and Israeli developers. While speaking at a news conference, foreign ministry official Tamas Menczer said that no one can say for certain when the country will get a vaccine or when it will be mass-produced. Therefore, he added that Hungary will look to the east and cooperate with Russia and China in a bid to access and procure the vaccine when available. 

Last week, Hungary had received a delivery of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. Back then, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto had said that Hungary is the first European country to receive a sample. According to Budapest, an initial 10 doses were handed for local testing, with large-scale deliveries and potential mass production by a Hungarian firm possible next year if it proves safe and effective. 

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While addressing a press conference with Russian health minister Mikhail Murashko, Szijjarto said that Hungarian doctors and experts will soon study the production of Sputnik V in Russia. He added that their visit would allow a speedier decision on approval of the vaccine in Hungary. 

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is charged with overseeing vaccine approval in the EU, has yet to assess the Russian drug. While Moscow has said that Sputnik V showed 95 per cent effectiveness in the latest trials, the EU officials, without mentioning Hungary, warned that marketing vaccines unauthorised by Brussels would go against Europe’s vaccine strategy. European Commission spokesperson Vivian Loonela said that if a country were to market a vaccine on European territory, then obviously, the EU officials would have to take action in order to ensure that the rules are respected. 

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Tensions between Hungary, Poland and EU

Meanwhile, Hungary and Poland are already at loggerheads with Brussels over the EU’s long-term budget. The leaders of the two countries have vowed to uphold their veto against the EU’s next budget which includes the COVID-19 pandemic relief fund at the upcoming European Council summit on December 10-11. Arguing that the European Union's €1.8 trillion seven-year budget risked derailing the bloc, the leaders of the two countries said that they would initiate the disbursal of any EU mechanism that links funding to rule of law principal. The European Union had proposed to link the coronavirus recovery package with the budget for 2021-2027, proposed by 27 members. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki opposed the measure in a meeting held in Budapest to resume the talks about the stalled EU budget for January. While the EU seeks to block the funding, which includes a €750bn coronavirus recovery package, for the nations that violated democratic norms, leaders of Hungary and Poland slammed the act as arbitrary. They argued that such a provision would require amendments to EU treaties, and they will continue to oppose any such measures to the budget's approval. 

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