The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) has approved a €25 million loan to Kosovo for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines for 50% of the population.
The amount of vaccines will add to those expected from the Gavi COVAX initiative, which will cover 20% of Kosovo’s population.
The CEB announced its decision on Friday, adding that their loan will complement other funding made available for the same purpose by the European Union, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.
It comes after an agreement for another €35 million loan by the CEB signed in August 2020, which covered a part of Kosovo’s emergency healthcare costs.
“In line with its exclusively social mandate, the Bank will play its part in addressing unequal COVID-19 vaccine access across its member countries. This is key not only for overcoming the current health crisis but also for mitigating the growing social and economic inequalities set in motion by the pandemic,” the Governor of the CEB, Rolf Wenzel stated.
Kosovo is the only European country not to have rolled out COVID-19 vaccination yet.
