The EU assistance covers more than €3.3 billion in support to the region’s medical emergency response, long-term socio-economic recovery, and vaccines. The EU provided protective equipment, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, ventilators, COVID tests, ambulances, freezers/refrigerators, and other crucial items throughout the pandemic.

Through the Economic and Investment Plan, the EU also supports the socio-economic recovery of the Western Balkans, and a connected, green, and people-focused growth, benefiting the region and Europe as a whole. The EU’s substantial investment in the health sector in previous years also proved to be crucial during the pandemic.

During the pandemic, the Western Balkans partners have also had access to a number of initiatives normally reserved for EU Member States.

As the High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell said: "Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, no one is safe until everyone is safe. This is more than a catchphrase: it is a basic truth. We can only defeat the pandemic if we work together, on a global scale, and with our closest partners, such as the Western Balkans.”

Providing vaccines and supporting the infrastructure needed to administer them is part of the EU’s comprehensive support to the Western Balkans to tackle the pandemic. The EU has granted the Western Balkans €70 million for procurement of vaccines through EU Member States under its advance purchase agreements or for bilateral purchases of EMA approved COVID-19 vaccines, and another €7 million to help the region’s preparedness for vaccination campaigns, to support safe and effective vaccination across the region.

Deliveries of vaccines through the EU4Health mechanism have contributed to the improvement of the pandemic situation. Several Member States announced donations and/or re-sales of vaccines to the Western Balkans.
  
The EU is one of the main funders of COVAX, the global initiative to secure safe vaccines, which has enabled the Western Balkans partners to procure vaccines. Team Europe have contributed more than €3.2 billion to COVAX.

• Factsheet - EU support to the Western Balkans in tackling COVID-19 
• Infographic - COVID-19: EU support to the Western Balkans 
• Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans
• New EU project to support readiness for vaccination efforts and resilient health systems in the Western Balkans 
• Deliveries of EU-funded vaccines start in the Western Balkans 
• The European Union and Austria secure COVID-19 vaccines for the Western Balkans
• COVAX vaccine deliveries have started in the Western Balkans
• Commission adopts €70 million package for early access to EU COVID-19 vaccines in the Western Balkans 
• HRVP Borrell: Vaccinating the world: the EU is doing more than it gets credit for