Romania’s Pfizer vaccine contract dispute fuels political clash over alleged mishandling

Official documents obtained by media reveal how Romania participated in the EU’s centralized COVID‑19 vaccine procurement, receiving about 4.26 % of the allocated doses. The Prime Minister approved each purchase, and in 2021 a contract for 39 million Pfizer doses was signed. When the pandemic eased, the European Commission negotiated an amendment allowing countries to reduce orders, but Romania did not respond before the deadline and remained bound to the original contract, later losing a Belgian court case that upheld Pfizer’s claim for payment.

Former Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu published the procurement paperwork, describing the decision chain: “Colonel Gheorghiță proposed to Florin Cîțu to buy vaccines… Cîțu decided and issued the resolution ‘De acord’.” The release prompted a sharp exchange with former Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete, who accused Voiculescu of “lying plainly and weaving conspiracies” and of betraying the nation, while Voiculescu counter‑attacked, insisting the documents prove the process was transparent and that the contractual burden of up to €1 billion rests on the state, not on him.