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A30 world news
Dialuna 1 Februari 2021

EU tightens vaccine export rules, creates post-Brexit outcry

(AP) — The European nism” will be used at least
Union introduced tighter until the end of March to
rules Friday on exports of control shipments to non-
COVID-19 vaccines that EU countries.
could hit shipments to
nations like the United The EU insisted that’s not an
Kingdom, deepening a export ban, although it could
dispute with London over be used to block shipments to
scarce supplies of poten- the UK or many other non-
tially lifesaving shots. EU countries. Many poorer
nations and close neighbors
But amid an outcry in North- are exempt.
ern Ireland and the UK, the
European Commission made Officials said it is intended to
clear the new measure will ensure EU member nations
not trigger controls on vac- get the shots they bought
cines shipments produced from producers. The World
in the 27-nation bloc to the Health Organization criti-
small territory that is part of cized the new EU export
United Kingdom bordering rules as “not helpful.”
EU member Ireland.
Director General Tedros
Under the post-Brexit deal, Adhanom Ghebreyesus and
EU products should still be other WHO officials warned
able to travel unhindered of supply-chain disruptions
from the bloc to Northern gion designed to protect the tual responsibilities," von der “The UK has legally-binding that could ripple through the
Ireland. peace process on the island of Leyen said in a statement. agreements with vaccine sup- world and potentially stall the
Ireland. The EU hit out at AstraZene- pliers and it would not expect fight against COVID-19.
“In the process of finalization ca this week after the compa- the EU, as a friend and ally,
of this measure, the Com- But the EU later said it was ny said it would only supply to do anything to disrupt The “advanced purchasing
mission will ensure that the not invoking Article 16 of the 31 million doses of vaccine the fulfilment of these con- agreement” with the EU was
Ireland/Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Protocol in initial shipments, instead tracts,” the UK said. signed in August, before the
Protocol is unaffected," the allowing either side to over- of the 80 million doses it had Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
EU's executive arm said in a ride parts of their deal. hoped to deliver. AstraZeneca CEO Pascal had been properly tested.
statement late Friday. Soriot told Germany’s Die The European Medicines
“The Commission is not trig- Brussels claimed AstraZen- Welt newspaper this week Agency approved the vaccine
Amid a dispute with Anglo- gering the safeguard clause,” eca would supply even less that the U.K. government on Friday, making it the third
Swedish drugmaker Astra- it said in its statement, adding than that, just one-quarter of helped create the vaccine de- authorized for use by EU na-
Zeneca, EU Commission that the restricting regula- the doses due between Janu- veloped with Oxford Uni- tions.
president Ursula von der tions have yet to be finalized ary and March — and mem- versity and signed its contract
Leyen and British leader and won't be adopted before ber countries began to com- three months before the EU Earlier, the 27-nation bloc
Boris Johnson had an un- Saturday. plain. did. Soriot said that under and AstraZeneca made pub-
expected phone call, during The European Commis- the British contract, vaccines lic a heavily redacted version
which the UK prime minis- The phone call between sion is concerned that doses produced at U.K. sites must of their vaccine deal that’s at
ter “expressed his grave con- von der Leyen and Johnson meant for Europe might have go to the U.K. first. the heart of a dispute over the
cerns about the potential im- somewhat eased what was been diverted from an As- delivery schedule.
pact which the steps the EU quickly becoming a diplo- traZeneca plant on the con- To head off similar disputes
has taken today on vaccine matic flashpoint. tinent to the U.K., where and allay fears that vaccines The contract, agreed to last
exports could have," a state- two other company sites are might be diverted, the Com- year by the European Com-
ment from the British gov- “We agreed on the principle located. The EU also wants mission introduced the mea- mission and the drugmaker,
ernment read. that there should not be re- doses at two sites in Britain sures to tighten rules on the allows the EU’s member
strictions on the export of to be made available to Euro- exports of shots produced in countries to buy 300 mil-
The EU unveiled its plans vaccines by companies where pean citizens. EU countries. The “vaccine lion doses of the AstraZeneca
to tighten rules on exports they are fulfilling contrac- export transparency mecha- vaccine, with an option for
of coronavirus vaccines pro- a further 100 million doses.
duced inside the bloc amid It’s one of several contracts
fears some of the doses it the EU’s executive branch
secured from AstraZeneca has with vaccine makers to
could be diverted elsewhere. secure a total of more than 2
The measure could be used billion shots.
to block shipments to many
non-EU countries and en- As part of an “advanced pur-
sure that any exporting com- chase agreement” with com-
pany based in the EU will panies, the EU said it has in-
first have to submit their vested 2.7 billion euros ($3.8
plans to national authorities. billion), including 336 mil-
lion ($408 million) to finance
The UK and Northern Ire- the production of AstraZen-
land governments immedi- eca’s serum at four factories.
ately lashed out at the move, Much of the 41-page docu-
saying the bloc invoked an ment made public was
emergency clause in its di- blacked out, making it very
vorce deal with Britain to in- difficult to establish which
troducing controls on exports side is in the right. Details
to Northern Ireland. Goods about the price of the vaccine
are supposed to flow freely were notably redacted. The
between the EU and North- U.K. is thought to be paying
ern Ireland under special ar- far more for the vaccine than
rangements for the U.K. re- EU countries.