Boxes of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccines.
Photographer: Remko de Waal / AFP / Getty Images
Photographer: Remko de Waal / AFP / Getty Images
The European Union’s closest neighbors, including countries in the Balkans and countries that have special trade relationships with the bloc such as Norway and Switzerland, need permission to import Covid vaccines from the EU on the basis of a proposal to be unveiled Wednesday.
The plan, which will be made public in Brussels around noon, aims to strengthen existing EU export rules by insisting that countries receiving doses from the EU also return doses. It will also take into account a country’s vaccination coverage and pandemic situation when deciding whether or not to give the green light to shipments. The mechanism will not be automatic, but will be used on a case-by-case basis, according to officials familiar with the proposal.
The new export regulations come as health outlooks have deteriorated dramatically in Europe, with many of the largest countries, including Germany and France, announcing new lockdowns. When EU leaders meet to discuss the proposal later this week, they will say that the “situation remains serious” and that “restrictions, including non-essential travel, should therefore be enforced,” according to an EU document issued by Bloomberg. is seen.
Neighboring countries will be included in the new directive because of the increased risk that third parties will use their special trade privileges to help circumvent stricter export criteria, Bloomberg said in a draft regulation. According to two people familiar with the plan, the rules will cover both the countries of the European Free Trade Association and the countries in the European Economic Area.
Countries at risk of clashing with the new rules will be countries that restrict their “own exports of vaccines or their raw materials, whether by law or otherwise,” the document said. This could affect the UK, which, with 11 million of the 45 million doses shipped from the EU, is by far the largest recipient of the bloc’s vaccines.
Also, the rules will look at “the conditions prevailing in the country of destination” and will take into account “the epidemiological situation, vaccination coverage and vaccine stocks,” the document said.
The block delivered 13 doses per 100 people, less than a third of what the UK managed, according to Bloomberg’s Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker. Israel has inoculated more than half of its population.
The plan is aimed at companies such as Astra who are not meeting their obligations and also takes into account possible future problems with companies such as Pfizer Inc. who meet their obligations, according to an official who is familiar with the proposal and who has asked not to do so. are identified because the plans are private. The rules will not amount to an automatic ban and are intended to increase transparency and fairness, the official said.
Another diplomat said the EU wanted to tackle “vaccine tourism,” encouraging Europeans to spend their holidays in countries with a vaccine surplus, only to be stung by doses imported from the bloc.
Vaccine ‘Greed’
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters in London that all countries are “fighting the same pandemic” and that his government “will continue to work with our European partners”. Later that night, however, at risk of stirring up tensions, he told a group of Conservative MPs in a private meeting via Zoom that the vaccine’s success in the UK was down to ‘greed’.
The government tried to limit the damage, with cabinet minister Priti Patel taking the rare step of using television interviews to explain the prime minister’s comments. British officials do not usually make public comments on private discussions, such as Johnson’s meeting with his party.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government described the EU’s proposals as “concerning”. And in Australia, Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Wednesday that his country had received less than a fifth of the 3.8 million doses it received from AstraZeneca’s European operations. Earlier this month, Italy blocked the shipment of vaccines to Australia using the EU mechanism.
Low- and middle-income countries that are part of the Covax humanitarian facility will continue to be exempt from the need to seek authorization and the EU will continue to recommend that exports should be allowed when they do not threaten the security of supply of vaccines and their components . In any case, the measures will remain in effect until the end of June, a person familiar with the bill said.
Top Discussion
As of February, the block has received more than 380 export requests to 33 different countries for a total of approximately 45 million doses. To date, only one request has been denied after Italy declined to greenlight the shipment of 250,000 Astra doses to Australia earlier this month.
According to an EU document, the UK is by far the most important export destination, with around 11 million doses. It is followed by Canada with 7.2 million and Japan with 5.4 million. Saudi Arabia received 1.5 million shots and the US 900,000.
The proposals must be approved by EU leaders when they meet virtually on Thursdays and Fridays. Ministers from multiple countries, including France and Italy, backed the principle of reciprocity at a preparatory meeting on Tuesday, according to a diplomatic note seen by Bloomberg. However, others urged caution, citing the potential impact on global supply chains.
The EU and UK are currently negotiate the distribution of the stock of an Astra factory in the Netherlands that will be operational in the coming weeks. A European diplomat said there was room for agreement on some form of pro-rata distribution based on population size.
– With the help of Nikos Chrysoloras, Emily Ashton and Tim Ross