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The European Commission will adopt a “revised export authorization and transparency mechanism” on Wednesday, the spokesman told reporters.
The issue will also be discussed during a virtual meeting of EU leaders on Thursday and Friday.
According to officials, the revised mechanism will not mean a total export ban, but will support what European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called “reciprocity.”
It will reinforce the Commission’s position on the ban on exports to countries where vaccination is more successful and which produce vaccines but do not export them to the EU.
The Commission said last week that it was prepared to impose stricter conditions on exports of vaccines from Europe. The move targeted AstraZeneca in the UK.
Sandra Gallina, head of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, told the European Parliament that the EU had a “serious problem” with AstraZeneca.
According to her, this English and Swedish company delivered less than a quarter of the more than 100 million in the first three months of this year. promised doses of vaccines.
“Regarding AstraZeneca, I would like to point out that we are taking action,” Gallina said, adding that the company had earned a “bad reputation” by not allowing Europe to accelerate its vaccination campaign.
Mr. von der Leyen threatened to ban the export of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, sparking a dispute between Brussels and London and mutual accusations of “vaccine nationalism”.
The EU is angry that AstraZeneca has ensured a smooth supply to Britain until this month and is not complying with the agreement with the Community.
Britain is already low on doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to delays in scheduled shipments from a major plant in India.
London wants doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from a plant that will soon be licensed in the Netherlands.
EU countries do not agree
Under the EU export control mechanism established in late January, vaccine manufacturers must apply for permission to ship vaccine shipments from the unit.
So far, a shipment of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Italy to Australia has been blocked.
EU member states disagree on whether to tighten the export ban.
Some take this as a way of urging pharmaceutical companies to respect supply schedules to Europe, pointing out that between early February and mid-March, the EU exported more than 10 million euros to Britain. doses of vaccine and did not receive any doses from the UK.
Other countries fear that an export ban will trigger retaliation that disrupts international vaccine supply chains. Some of them provide the necessary ingredients.
Among the wary are the Netherlands. A country official said an EU export ban would lose everyone, but the Dutch would comply with the EC’s decision.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday voiced her support for the threat by EC President von der Leyen to block the export of AstraZeneca vaccine doses manufactured in the Community.
According to her, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has spoken with her in recent days with French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, is “in constant contact” with the EC on the issue.
