Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio on Tuesday urged Coronavirus vaccinations to be speeded up in the 27-nation European Union, saying the bloc should aim to complete inoculations by the end of the year.
"Coordination among countries is crucial...we must accelerate the vaccination campaign at European level," Di Maio said during a Nato foreign ministers summit in Brussels.
"The European Commission has signed contracts with the pharmaceutical companies and all moves are welcome that make them keep these agreements," Di Maio went on.
"Everyone must be vaccinated by the end of this year so we can re-start with new impetus," he added.
The Commission has approved four COVID-19 vaccines for marketing in the EU and aims to step up vaccinations in the bloc over the next three months to inoculate 70% of the adult population by the end of the summer.
