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Whatever is needed. And believe me: it will be enough. Prime Minister Mario Draghi, a man of his word and a central banker, knows his weight. The markets experienced this in 2012, when you say those words to save the euro. A week ago at the meeting between EU leaders focused on the European response to Covid and the vaccine emergency, Draghi said that companies that do not respect their commitments should not be excused. The statements were followed by the facts: Italy has blocked, with a green light from the EU, the export of 250,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Australia, packed at the Anagni plant.
In Italy, people die at the rate of 300 people a day, so I can certainly understand the high level of anxiety in Italy and in many countries in Europe. I am in a situation of unbridled crisis. This is not the situation in Australia, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. This is a demonstration of how well Australia continues to do in the face of despair in other countries – Australian Finance Minister Simon Birmingham also replied, who also specified how he would have preferred this decision by Italy had not been there. The world is in uncharted territory and it is no wonder that some countries break the rules when they find themselves in these conditions. Health Minister Greg Hunt explained that Canberra has asked the Commission to review the decision.
Ours is the first EU country to have stopped a stock of doses since the European Commission created the notification and authorization mechanism for the export of anti-Covid vaccines outside the Union at the end of January. The control measure was activated after the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company itself AstraZeneca had reported a 60% cut in doses destined for the EU in the first quarter relative to the contract, without reducing supplies to the UK. The attitude of the executive director, Pascal Soriot, had not been cooperative, the numerous meetings had been described by Brussels as unsatisfactory. Now the reduction in supplies has been contained to 25% but the deficit continues to weigh on vaccination campaigns in European countriesIncluding Italy, which relied heavily on the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Italy did nothing more than apply the regulation of the EU mechanism and rejected the request for authorization because the host country, Australia, considered not vulnerable; Vaccine shortages persist in the EU and Italy and AstraZeneca delays persist; the stock to be exported consisted of a high number of doses compared to the number of vials delivered to Italy and the EU countries so far. The mechanism provides for the notification of the decision to Brussels, since the Member State must decide in accordance with the opinion of the Commission. It applies to the formula of silent consent. The Italian proposal was notified by Farnesina to the General Directorate of Health last Friday, the second day of the video-summit of EU leaders, and received the green light on March 2, the day that AstraZeneca was informed.
It was not an easy choice diplomatically, even if Australia is not in an emergency. But Draghi’s intervention had received the support of French President Emmanuel Macron and beyond. All Member States are fighting against the slowness of vaccination. The government is working in collaboration with Brussels: not only the phone calls between Draghi and President Ursula von der Leyen, Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton was in Rome yesterday, who met with Development Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti to discuss the vaccine production in our territory. In the past, Italy had authorized the export of doses, but they were limited quantities. In recent weeks, Canada and Japan had expressed to Brussels the concern of not being supplied, after the creation of the export authorization mechanism and the Commission had always said that the objective was to control, not block. Perhaps that is why neither announcements nor comments have been seen on the Twitter accounts of the EU commissioners and the president. Von der Leyen tweeted the 14,400 doses delivered to Moldova by Covax, of which the EU is the largest contributor.
Meanwhile, the EMA started yesterday the rapid evaluation of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V and said it will evaluate the data as it becomes available to decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks. The review will continue until sufficient evidence is available for the authorization request. The audience of those who can be vaccinated with AstraZeneca is expanding: yesterday Germany authorized its use also in people over 65. And the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, asked to evaluate the scientific data to verify the possibility of doing the same in Italy.
March 5, 2021 (change March 5, 2021 | 09:21)
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