THE HAGUE: France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have forged an alliance to speed up the production of a vaccine "on European soil" against the new coronavirus, Dutch officials said Wednesday.

Four of Europe's largest economies "are jointly exploring various promising initiatives and are in discussion with various pharmaceutical companies," the Dutch Health Ministry announced.

The aim of the "Inclusive Vaccine Alliance" was to allow for vaccine production on European soil wherever possible, the department said in a statement issued in The Hague.

"Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands are convinced that a successful result requires a joint strategy and investments," it said. The announcement Wednesday comes as Europe slowly emerges from lockdowns with Italy leading the way as the first country on the continent to open its borders to European travellers.