The European Union risks launching a global fight against vaccines after revealing a drastic plan to restrict Covid-19 fire exports.
The move affects drug companies as well Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc, with the EU accused by an international trade group and the World Health Organization of engaging in harmful protectionism. The British government, fresh from negotiating its exit from the bloc, called on the EU to refrain from interrupting Britain’s supply of vaccines and called on an explanation.
The escalation of Europe aims to compensate for the perceived wrong steps in negotiations with drug manufacturers and the slow launch of national vaccination programs. As governments come under intense pressure as deaths rise and voters become frustrated by recurring blockages, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has warned that the EU’s offer to intervene in a global supply chain could have a negative effect.
“I fear it could become a losing streak, rather than a victory for Europe,” he told a World Economic Forum panel on Friday. “If a war starts, they will try to ban the final product or free trade deliveries, I think this could create a situation that is not good for anyone.”
Europe’s struggle for a coordinated response has been exposed as Germany has excluded the elderly from its AstraZeneca vaccination plans, reaffirming its policy even after the European Medicines Agency has eliminated shootings for the elderly.
French President Emmanuel Macron kept the line: “What I can tell you, officially, is that the feedback we have is not encouraging today for those over 60-65 years old on AstraZeneca.”
Does it end in sight?
In a potentially hopeful sign, the EU has eliminated a Covid-19 vaccine from Astra and Oxford University for all adults. Faced with pressure from EU politicians, Astra said on Friday that it was examining possible partnerships to increase vaccine production.
Less than a month after the entry into force of Brexit, the borders also risk restricting vaccine exports across the Irish border, temporarily suspending the provisions for free trade after Brexit.
This is because the European Commission’s decision will require pharmaceutical companies to obtain prior authorization before sending EU-made photos to other countries – and the UK, US and Canada are not on a list of more than 90 exempt countries.
“The challenges we face now have left us with no choice but to act,” said EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. “This is a race against the clock. We cannot waste time because of vaccines that are not delivered on time. ”
Britain is “urgently seeking an explanation” and “would not expect the EU, as a friend and ally, to do anything to disrupt” legally binding contracts for the supply of vaccines, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said in a statement. -a statement late Friday.
The statement mentions the importance of maintaining the commitments made to Ireland, where the EU border now lies between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Pushing back
Faced with pressure from the EU for faster supply, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said the company had obtained additional vaccine drugs from other parts of the world to support the 31 million doses the company can currently deliver to the EU. .
“We have a large quantity that we will be delivering to the European Union starting this month, but it is not as much as we would have hoped,” he said.
Speaking after the EMA approved the company’s shot, the CEO said AstraZeneca is looking at possible partnerships with other companies to increase capacity, although this would not solve short-term supply issues. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU expects Astra to live up to its commitments.
Under EU measures, vaccines will only be able to leave the EU if the amount does not threaten the agreed bulk deliveries.
They will run until the end of March, affecting Astra’s production and filling facilities. Moderna Inc. and Pfizer in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, France and elsewhere.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn defended the EU’s downsizing, saying he had “signaled” that Europe was determined to receive vaccines.
“I mean, the US is not without measures either, if I could say so,” he said on the WEF panel with Pfizer’s Bourla.
While officials stressed that the EU had stopped outside general bans, there were calls for a reconsideration of the decision.
“Regardless of the calibration of export control measures, today’s announcement sends a dangerous signal to the world,” said John Denton, secretary of the International Chamber of Commerce.
The WHO has said that trade barriers are not the answer and, in the end, they are overcoming themselves.
“People at the top of the queue are fighting for where they’re in line – that’s what it looks like, they’re fighting for the cake,” said Mike Ryan, the organization’s head of emergency program.
Vaccine production sites in Europe
The EU’s announcement comes a week after its already overwhelming vaccination rate hit another major hurdle. Last Friday, Astra warned that dose deliveries this quarter would be less than half of what was originally planned. This triggered a confrontation, with the EU claiming that the company had breached the terms, giving Britain priority over the EU.
– With the assistance of Katharina Rosskopf, Suzi Ring, Frank Connelly, Corinne Gretler, Naomi Kresge and Ania Nussbaum
(Updates with the reaction of the United Kingdom Government in the second and 11th paragraphs.)