The European Union has so far secured 600 million coronavirus vaccine jabs, and despite criticisms over the slow rollout in a number of member states,
More will follow as other vaccine candidates such as the Moderna one are approved, and the bloc currently has enough doses in the pipeline to immunise some 80% of its population, according to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
This follows a pattern for non-EU high-income countries in Europe, such as Switzerland and the UK, which have secured large numbers of jabs for their populations in bilateral deals with manufacturers.
But those on the lower-income scale in the European neighbourhood are lagging behind.