Auditors find ‘empty shelves’ despite EU commitment to deliver vaccines 

Shortcomings in the EU's funding of the coordination and delivery of vaccines has led to empty shelves in partnering countries according to the European Court of Auditors in a recent audit.

The ECA report, released on Wednesday (2 October), investigated the EU’s funding for health projects between 2007 and the beginning of 2024, selecting projects from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi and Zimbabwe. 

“EU funds should be used more effectively as a matter of urgency, in particular by improving the allocation criteria for funding, ensuring that management costs are reasonable, and addressing project sustainability,” said ECA member George-Marius Hyzler. 

While global health funding from the EU has increased since 2007, the auditors discovered severe coordination issues with partnering countries – leading to, for example, permanently out-of-stock medicine shelves in Zimbabwe, low vaccine availability and duplicate interventions.  

This happened despite the EU launching its Global Health Strategy in November 2022 to strengthen health systems and pharmaceutical supply chains worldwide and improve access to medicines, including vaccines. 

The ECA's report is released against the backdrop of the ongoing clade Ib mpox outbreak in Central and East Africa, recently declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO), alongside a deepening humanitarian and hunger crisis in the DRC. 

“Although the mpox outbreak happened after our audit fieldwork had been finalised, our report covers issues linked to the delivery and distribution of medicines and the sustainability of programmes supporting health systems,” the ECA said.

The report suggests a lack of alignment between local needs and EU funding — an issue prevalent before the current mpox outbreak. 

Additionally, the audit highlights that mpox is not the only health concern African health systems face and that ensuring further domestic and international financing, alongside realistic transition and exit strategies, is key to safeguarding the sustainability of global health programmes. 

Rowan Dunn, an EU advocacy coordinator at Global Health Advocates, said this audit is “particularly relevant in the context of the preparations and early negotiations of the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework, with a Commission proposal expected in 2025.” 

“The recent mpox outbreak is a symptom of global health injustice and demonstrates a need to take action to improve equitable access to quality health services, which also means taking action for health security on an international scale. It is a shared global responsibility,” she said. 

[Edited by Martina Monti]