The Covid pandemic had major implications for European Union governance. It posed major practical problems for the day-to-day functioning of the various EU institutions and bodies. It created major policy challenges for the European Union, and not just in terms of how it should respond directly to the crisis. The pandemic also undercut some of the core principles of the European Union, such as that of free movement. Finally it also posed longer term questions, such as which of the organisational adaptations and changes in institutional working methods should be maintained in the future, and what longer term lessons should be drawn for EU policies and structures.

The current paper focuses on how one EU institution, the European Parliament, tackled the pandemic. It looks at the remarkable extent to which it managed to keep its legislative and other work going during the pandemic, not least by significant changes to its working methods as well as Rules of Procedure. The paper then examines the various European Parliament resolutions and other initiatives commenting on the EU’s handling of the pandemic and its implications for the Single Market and for other EU policies. It concludes with the European Parliament’s ongoing analysis of the lessons learnt from the pandemic and its recommendations for the future as regards policy and institutional governance, notably those being put forward by the European Parliament’s Special Committee on the Covid-19 pandemic

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine distribution has become a global health issue, highlighting the need for efficient and effective pharmaceutical procurement. The ‘EU Vaccines Strategy’ presented by the European Commission in June 2020 established critical goals, including vaccine safety, equitable access, affordability, swift distribution, and global solidarity. This study evaluates the Commission’s centralised COVID-19 vaccine procurement approach and use of Advance Purchase Agreements (APAs). It also examines how competition law could strengthen the EU vaccines strategy. By investigating literature, reviewing policies and documents, and analysing the Commission and AstraZeneca’s APA as a case study, this research identifies critical challenges related to transparency and accountability in negotiations and the potential for abusing dominance. The findings reveal how vaccine producers’ anti-competitive practices could hinder equitable, affordable access. Understanding these limitations can help policymakers improve efficient procurement and crisis negotiation strategies. This paper recommends increasing transparency by developing clear negotiation guidelines, mandatory disclosure of the vaccine purchase agreement terms and negotiation documents and embedding competition law considerations in the EU Vaccines Strategy.