Page 29 - bon-dia-aruba-20210202

A29
world news Diamars 2 Februari 2021

EU seeks to boost credibility despite slow vaccine rollout

(AP) — The European liveries, said Britain was in an helping boost confidence in
Union on Monday de- advantageous position since the shots, rather than provide
fended its flagging coro- it made a deal a few months faster emergency authoriza-
navirus vaccine program, earlier than Brussels. tion as happened in Britain.
which has come under There is general agreement She noted that AstraZeneca,
criticism from the World that the EU got good prices which initially said it would
Health Organization, EU the member states could only deliver 31 million of a
states and recently depart- never have obtained on their promised first batch of 80
ed member Britain. own and that generous sup- million doses, has now agreed
port for the vaccines compa- to supply 9 million addition-
Ten days of bad news about nies amounting to 2.7 billion al doses of its vaccine to the
stalled deliveries from pro- euros ($3.3 billion) helped EU during the first quarter
ducers, a rusty rollout by speed up research and in- — bringing the total to half
member states were capped crease production capacity. what the company originally
last weekend when the EU But speed has been the EU’s aimed for.
made a hasty U-turn on plans pope is infallible. Important those who say it is irrelevant. Achilles’ Heel. Countries Pfizer, which developed the
to set up controls on the is- thing is that you recognize Sandra Gallina, the general such as Austria have derid- first widely tested and ap-
land of Ireland — between the them early on — in this case director in charge of health ed the more unwieldy ap- proved coronavirus vaccine
United Kingdom’s Northern so early that it was before the at the European Commis- proval process and Italy has together with German firm
Ireland and the EU’s Repub- decision was finalized — and sion told legislators Monday even threatened court action BioNTech, also said it expects
lic of Ireland — to make sure that you correct them,” he that “we bought all the doses against producers when de- to increase global production
vaccines wouldn’t be illegally said. that were available in time liveries started flagging. It is this year from 1.3 million
transported to Britain. Overall though, the Euro- (...). What we buy, is a dose no different in the EU’s big- doses to 2 billion. Up to 75
Considering that avoiding a pean Commission stood by delivered in a certain sched- gest member state. million of those additional
visible border to keep peace its plans to check on exports ule in time. This is the whole Chancellor Angela Merkel doses will be delivered to the
on the island was a key tenet produced on its territory and issue, it is to have the com- and German state governors EU in the second quarter.
of the Brexit EU-UK divorce make sure they were syph- panies delivering by the time held a meeting Monday with “Things will increase, but
agreement, that plan was oned off somewhere else if that they have committed to representatives of the phar- it will be a long road,” said
aborted just before it became the EU contract with pro- deliver.” maceutical industry on ways Merkel, adding that the gov-
a firm decision, yet it left the ducers stipulated that they Despite the repeated set- to beef up the country’s slug- ernment would strive for
European Commission, the should be used in the EU. backs, the EU remains con- gish vaccination campaign. transparency on any potential
EU’s executive arm, with The World Health Organi- fident member states can By Sunday, some 1.93 million delays.
plenty of diplomatic egg on zation criticized the new EU achieve the commission’s people had received their first She said Germany would still
its face. export rules as “not helpful.” goal that 70% of the adult dose in Germany, a nation of be able to offer all adults a
Britain’s media had a feast, The EU was moved to take population across the bloc 83 million, and 532,000 had vaccine by Sept. 21 — days
depicting the EU as untrust- such measures because the will be vaccinated by the end received a second dose In before the country holds a
worthy, though the U.K. rollout of vaccines to its 27 of the summer. Gallina said comparison, Britain, a coun- national election in which
government kept a low pro- member states is lagging far the bloc expects to have re- try of 67 million, has given Merkel won’t stand for chan-
file on the issue. behind nations such as Israel ceived 400 million doses by nearly 9 million people a first cellor again.
“These are things which hap- and the United Kingdom, the end of June. vaccine shot. “But nobody can provide
pen when you are working at and even its own delivery Still, critics have said that “There were good reasons the absolute final certainty,”
full speed to deal with a de- plans. The EU as an institu- the European Commission why we were slower,” Merkel Merkel cautioned. “If for
veloping situation,” Europe- tion has a massive stake in the should have started clinch- told reporters after the meet- example a mutation (of the
an Commission spokesman success of the rollout as a way ing contracts much earlier. ing, citing as an example the virus) arises that the vaccine
Eric Mamer said. of showing the importance of AstraZeneca, which is in a EU’s decision to require reg- doesn’t work on, then we’ll
“We have a saying only the cooperation and countering dispute with the EU over de- ular approval for the vaccines, start over again.”

Erdogan says Turkey needs new constitution

(AP) — In an unexpected in a transparent manner, and their approval.” discuss the issue with his par- derstanding ... with our part-
comment Monday, Turk- the text that emerges must be ty’s nationalist allies. ners, we could take action for
ish President Recep Tayy- presented to the people for Erdogan added that he would “If we reach a common un- a new constitution in the pe-
ip Erdogan spoke of the riod ahead,” he said.
need to draft a new and
“civilian” constitution for In 2018, Turkey transitioned
Turkey. from a parliamentary system
to an executive presidential
During a televised speech system that concentrated
following a Cabinet meet- most powers in the hands of
ing, Erdogan recalled that the the president. The transition
country’s last two constitu- came following a referendum
tions — enacted in 1961 and that amended several articles
1982 — were drafted follow- of the 1982 Constitution.
ing military coups, and con-
tained “indelible” traces of Separately, Erdogan also said
the “military tutelage.” Turkey was building a mic-
rosatellite launching facility
Erdogan said the new consti- that would soon begin send-
tution should be a “civilian” ing Turkish and foreign satel-
one, but didn’t elaborate. lites.
“Perhaps the time has come
for Turkey to debate a new “God willing, at a not so dis-
constitution,” Erdogan said. tant date, we will be launch-
“This work must be con- ing into space the satellites of
ducted in front of the people our country and those of our
and through the participation friends from our own facil-
of all of their representatives ity,” he said.