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EU leaders have told AstraZeneca that it must “catch up” with vaccine deliveries in Europe before it is allowed to export injections to other countries.
Frustration is growing in Brussels over a huge deficit in the number of hits EU countries are taking, with the continent’s vaccination program lagging behind the UK.
At a press conference, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the trade bloc is determined to get its “fair share” of vaccines.
He added: “Companies must fulfill their contract with the European Union before exporting to other regions of the world. This is, of course, the case for AstraZeneca.”
“I think it is clear that the company has to catch up and fulfill the contract it has with the EU member states before it can participate again in the export of vaccines.”
According to EU officials, the UK has imported 21 million doses that were manufactured in the EU, but they claim that none reached the trading bloc from Britain.
UK officials say they did a better job negotiating with manufacturers and organizing supply chains.
Figures from the Our World In Data website suggest that, as of Tuesday, the European Union has given only 14 injections per 100 people, compared with 46 per 100 in the UK.
A third wave of infections has been emerging on the continent, prompting the European Commission to reveal plans that would block vaccine shipments to countries with higher inoculation rates.
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AstraZeneca ‘should honor its contracts’
French President Emmanuel Macron is among those backing such measures. After the summit, he said: “I support the fact that we must block all exports as long as some pharmaceutical companies do not respect their commitments to Europeans.”
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte disagreed, warning that there could be “broader consequences” if a stricter approach to vaccine exports is implemented.
Brussels and London had tried to defuse tensions ahead of the summit, stating that they were determined to create a “win-win situation and expand the supply of vaccines for all of our citizens.”
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PM in vaccine passport perspective
Rutte has said he is “cautiously optimistic” that the divisions between the UK and the EU can be resolved.
He told reporters: “I think that on Saturday or shortly after, they could come to an agreement that would be very useful because we are friends, the UK and the rest of Europe, and we need each other.”
Other divisions have also emerged among EU leaders, with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz claiming that some European countries have been taking more hits than their share at the expense of others.
Kurz warned: “When member states have far fewer vaccines available than others, then I think this is a big problem for Europe. This could cause damage to the European Union like we haven’t seen in a long time.”
Several EU nations have chosen to impose strict lockdown measures on Easter measures, as the spread of more contagious variants of COVID-19 pushes some hospitals to the limit.
French President Emmanuel Macron is among those who support blocking all vaccine exports
The EU reserves its ire for vaccine manufacturers instead of the UK
Analysis by Michelle Clifford, correspondent for Europe, in Brussels
There was no frontal attack on the UK at a press conference held after EU leaders spoke of COVID.
In fact, the UK was hardly mentioned, except for a quick reference to the fact that no vaccines had arrived from that side of the canal.
Ire was mainly reserved for vaccine producing companies, notably AstraZeneca, which shipped doses abroad when EU orders had not been fulfilled. It was noted that those companies are now in the spotlight.
The European Union has only given 14 injections per 100 people, compared to 46 per 100 in the UK.
But if the EU decides to block its shipments abroad, tensions with the UK could rise. Will you be able to complete your second doses without them?
Even the company that the EU considers good, Pfizer, which has kept its promises, is not happy with the EU’s decision to tighten export rules.
Pfizer has warned that it would be a “lose-lose situation.” That’s because its factories in the EU rely on imports of ingredients and components from other countries, including the UK, to make their vaccines.
It has been said many times that vaccine production is a complicated business. It sure is.
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