Most of the female contraceptives financed by the United States and stored in Belgium, which Washington wants to destroy, are stored in inappropriate warehouses and are therefore no longer usable, according to Belgian authorities, we learned on Wednesday.
Regional authorities in Flanders have announced that 20 of 24 truckloads of pills, injections and other contraceptives, at the heart of the months-long diplomatic standoff between Brussels and the White House, have now expired.
In a written response to questions from a lawmaker, Flemish Environment Minister Jo Brouns said the stock, estimated to be worth $9.7 million, was initially stored in a warehouse in Geel, northern Belgium, in conditions that met pharmaceutical standards.
But an inspection in August found most of them had been moved to other warehouses “not specifically equipped for drug storage”. The Federal Agency for Medicines and Healthcare Products later confirmed that the contraceptive could no longer be “recirculated due to improper storage”, wrote Jo Brouns.
Cargo can still be used
However, medical equipment such as syringes, as well as the four consignments still stored in Geel, could be used, he added in a response sent last month. They were published online on Monday.
The contraceptives were purchased by USAID under the leadership of former President Joe Biden for distribution to women in some of the world’s poorest countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Trump administration, which owns stockpiles of contraceptives destined for African countries and stored in Belgium, said in mid-July it wanted to destroy the devices, sparking protests among NGOs and feminist associations, particularly in France.
In September, members of the European Parliament called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to intervene “urgently” to block the destruction of American contraceptives stored in Belgium.
