Alexandru Rafila states that he could not accept the payment of 170 million euros for the Pfizer vaccines due to lack of legal basis.

The former Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, stated that he could not make a decision regarding the Pfizer vaccines due to the lack of a legal basis, mentioning that his ministry could not accept a 'flexibility fee' of 170 million euros without the Prime Minister's agreement. Rafila accused the contract signed by Ioana Mihăilă, Florin Cîțu, and Tánczos Barna in May 2021 of being reckless, generating a problem of 600 million euros. He explained that, following discussions with Pfizer, Romania refused an option that involved paying a fine for undelivered doses. In contrast, Vlad Voiculescu, his predecessor, stated that there was a free option that could only be decided by the Minister of Health, which would have significantly reduced costs. Voiculescu emphasized that this option would have spared Romania considerable additional expenses.