Polish PM pushes for EU vaccine self-sufficiency

Europe needs to be independent in vaccine production in order to enhance its general security, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said after a meeting with Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister.

Meeting in Madrid on Monday, the two signed agreements on cooperation on industrial policy, cyber-security and diplomacy.

"We want Europe to be independent and sovereign, also in terms of public health and vaccines," the Polish prime minister said, adding that "strategic autonomy should be understood as strengthening the security dimension, and strengthening the EU in the economic dimension."

Morawiecki also said Poland should experience at least a decade of intensive growth.

"We are facing a period of at least 10 years as a huge construction site," he said, referring to the country's EUR-55 billion National Recovery Plan, which is based on the EU's post-pandemic recovery funds and aims to help the Polish economy recover from the ravages of the pandemic.

Morawiecki went on to say that the current challenges will force the EU to revamp its economy.

"We can all see very well that the challenges around us are forcing all EU countries to undergo a deep reform of the structure and architecture of the European economy," the Polish prime minister said.