LONDON/BRUSSELS — Britain is discussing with the European Union whether it will join a plan by the bloc to secure supplies of potential vaccines against COVID-19, officials in London and Brussels said on Friday. The UK-EU talks, first reported by the Financial Times, represent a test of the cooperation required to tackle international emergencies after Brexit. The EU is planning to spend around 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) on the advance purchase of vaccines in testing, on behalf of the 27 EU states. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said she is trying to convince "a significant number" of world leaders to join forces and buy vaccines up front together, as competition for a vaccine could otherwise raise the cost for everyone.

Source: International New York Times July 03, 2020 15:45 UTC