BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU leaders on Thursday expressed frustration at a massive shortage of contracted supplies of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines as a third wave of infections surged across Europe.
With vaccination programs far behind those of Britain and the United States, the bloc’s executive warned that the British-Swedish company would block exports of vaccines until it delivers the shots it promised to the EU.
“We must and want to explain to our European citizens that they are getting their fair share,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference following a video conference summit of the leaders of the European Union.
“The company must catch up, fulfill the contract with the European member states before it can export vaccines again,” she said.
Of the 300 million doses due to be delivered in EU countries by the end of June, Astrazeneca aims to deliver only 100 million.
This contributed to a faltering start to the roll-out of vaccinations. On March 23, Britain had taken nearly 46 shots per 100 people, compared to less than 14 per 100 in the 27-country block it left last year, according to figures compiled by the Our World In Data website.
This week, the European Commission unveiled plans to tighten controls on vaccine exports. This would provide more options for blocking shipments to countries with higher vaccination rates.
The EU is divided on whether companies that fail to fulfill their contractual obligations should take more stringent measures regarding the export of vaccines. French President Emmanuel Macron made it clear that he fully supported it.
“It’s the end of naivety,” he told a press conference after the summit. “I support the fact that we should block all exports as long as some pharmaceutical companies fail to fulfill their obligations to Europeans.”
QUARREL WITH BRITAIN
The troubled introduction of vaccines in Europe has led to a falling out with Britain, which has imported 21 million doses from the EU, according to an EU official. Britain says it has negotiated better with manufacturers and regulated supply chains.
The EU says it needs to share more, particularly to help offset the shortage of contracted deliveries of AstraZeneca shots.
Brussels and London tried to ease tensions on Wednesday, stating that they were working “to create a win-win situation and expand the vaccine offering to all our citizens”.
To highlight the EU’s problems, US biotech Novavax is delaying signing a contract to supply its vaccine to the bloc, an EU official told Reuters on Thursday due to problems finding certain raw materials.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he and other leaders hoped the tougher approach to vaccine exports would not be applied, warning of “wider implications” if it does.
Von der Leyen, who wanted to rebut the allegations that the EU threat of export blocks amounts to “vaccine nationalism,” presented slides showing that 77 million doses of vaccine have been shipped from EU factories to more than 40 countries since the beginning of December.
She said the EU would still meet its goal of getting 70% of adults vaccinated by the summer and noted that although a third wave of infections was underway, death rates were slower than the spread of the virus as due to vaccinations of the elderly.
Written by John Chalmers; Additional reporting by John Chalmers, Michel Rose, Sabine Siebold, Francesco Guarascio, Madeline Chambers; Editing by David Gregorio