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Brussels sources said the hard-line stance was “obvious” given that the EU had exported 10 million vaccines to the UK in the last six weeks, but the UK had not exported any.
The commission moved to tighten the screws on the Dutch ahead of an EU summit on Thursday, where Mark Rutte, the prime minister, was expected to lead a group of member states calling for a more conciliatory approach, implying a compromise. between the EU, UK and AstraZeneca.
EU diplomats said that under export rules introduced at the height of Brussels’ dispute with AstraZeneca over supply shortages in January, the commission has to give the export request the green light.
That would mean that even if Mr. Rutte did not want to impose the export ban, he would be powerless to stop it. The Dutch prime minister, who won in last week’s election, spoke with Boris Johnson on Friday.
The prime minister also spoke with Alexander DeCroo, the Belgian prime minister, about the importance of vaccine supply chains. Pfizer’s EU factory is in Belgium and supplies the UK with the jab.
On Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, warned that all options were on the table, including the activation of Article 122 of the EU treaties, which would allow the seizure of factories, the waiver of patents and rights. of intellectual property and export prohibitions. .
She demanded that Britain release AstraZeneca from its contractual obligation to fulfill UK orders before exporting from its two British factories.
He said that while the UK had taken 10 million hits from the mainland in the past six weeks, there had been no exports to the EU. He also said that AstraZeneca’s contract with Brussels counted the two UK factories as part of the EU.
Ms Von der Leyen is stepping up pressure on Britain ahead of Thursday’s European Council after a week in which the third wave of coronavirus gripped much of Europe.
France, Germany, Italy and Denmark are also said to support the idea of a ban to force “reciprocity” on Britain.
The Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Sweden and Ireland are understood to be concerned that the move could harm European supply chains and businesses if the vaccine trade war escalates.
If Britain were to retaliate with its own ban on the export of vaccine components, it could damage Pfizer’s continental production of injections.
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