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(CNN) – The European Union proposed tighter controls on the export of COVID-19 vaccine doses on Wednesday, marking the latest dispute between the bloc and British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
The new export controls proposed by the European Commission would govern exports of the Covid-19 vaccine from the EU based on the vaccination rate and export of vaccines from the destination country.
The move is the latest effort by the Commission to safeguard supplies for its citizens, following AstraZeneca’s shortfall in delivering doses to the bloc, despite contractual obligations, while continuing to meet UK targets.
EU Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said on Wednesday that the aim of the change is “to have more transparency on exports and to get a complete picture of what is happening outside the EU to avoid possible circumvention of the rules. “.
Dombrovskis’s statements come on the same day that 29 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine planned for export were discovered in a reported “raid” at a factory outside Rome, Italy.
An AstraZeneca spokesperson refuted reports that the doses were part of a “stockpile”, saying the vaccine was manufactured outside the EU and had been brought to the factory to be filled in vials before distributing it to “low-income countries. and medium “. through the installation of COVAX “.
The AstraZeneca spokesperson said that 13 million of those doses were “waiting for the QC release to be shipped to COVAX,” while the other 16 million doses were awaiting QC for release to Europe.
“The vaccine manufacturing process is very complex and time consuming,” they said, adding that vaccine doses must wait for quality control to clear once the vials are filled.
Dombrovskis said the EU could not comment on the origin or potential use of the millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine allegedly discovered in Italy, but noted that the drug maker is “very far from its contractual commitments.”
“They have committed to deliver 120 million doses to the EU in the first quarter of the year. They promise to deliver 30 million doses, but they are not even close to this number, as of today,” he said.
European leaders will meet on Thursday and Friday to discuss the proposal and the broader coronavirus crisis in Europe. If approved, the expanded export mechanism “would apply until six weeks after its entry into force,” according to the Commission’s draft text.
‘Arbitrary locks’
The EU proposal was criticized on Wednesday by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said limiting vaccine exports could hurt investments in countries that impose them.
While Johnson emphasized that “vaccines are the product of international cooperation” and that it is “very, very important” to continue working with Europe, he also said that: “I would just kindly point out anyone considering a supply chain lockdown or disruption companies can consider such actions and draw conclusions about whether or not it is wise to make future investments in countries where arbitrary lockdowns are imposed.
Later on Wednesday, the EU and the UK issued a joint statement, saying they are working together on specific steps “to create a win-win situation and expand the supply of vaccines.”
Meanwhile, a senior European diplomat also called for caution on the use of the new EU-proposed rules, telling reporters at a briefing on Wednesday that the EU and European countries must “be careful about the nuclear option of a ban. pure export “.
If the plans are not used correctly in “appropriate situations, it will be counterproductive,” said the diplomat, noting that there is a “huge concentration of drug companies in our territory,” whose presence “accounts for several percentages of our employment.”
“We are very aware of the interdependence of these logistics chains, and we think that using an export blocking tool could very quickly turn against us,” said the diplomat, adding that he fears “that it will expose us to clear retaliation. Measures, abuse. of confidence and also diminished future possibilities of investments and commerce “.
The existing export control in the EU, which focuses on pharmaceutical companies, has been in place since the end of January and requires each company that makes the Covid-19 vaccine to register its intention to export doses outside the EU. European countries, in collaboration with the Commission, decide whether to approve or reject shipments.
In figures released by the Commission on Wednesday, more than 300 applications were made, with 43 million vaccines exported to 33 countries. Only one shipment of 250,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Italy to Australia was blocked.
The diplomat welcomed this “excellent by-product” of the current mechanism.
When asked why the expanded legislation was now being introduced, the diplomat said they felt it was probably “a sign of some nervousness” among certain European countries.
He added that the EU hears “cries for help or outrage, and it is up to the Commission to reflect on that and put proposals on the table.”
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