European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks to media in Berlaymont, the European Commission’s headquarters.
Thierry Monasse
LONDON – The European Union on Friday imposed temporary controls on the export of coronavirus vaccines made within the block, following a spate with British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and wider supply issues.
Pfizer recently suffered two major blows and said it would temporarily reduce production while upgrading its production capacity at its Belgian plant. Last week, AstraZeneca also said it would deliver far fewer doses to the EU in the spring than initially expected, due to production issues at its plants in the Netherlands and Belgium.
After putting pressure on AstraZeneca this week to meet its obligations and then urging the firm to move vaccines manufactured in the UK into the block, the EU confirmed on Friday that it was introducing temporary controls.
“Protecting the health of our citizens remains our top priority, and we must put in place the necessary measures to ensure that we achieve this,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.
“This mechanism for transparency and authorization is temporary, and we will, of course, continue to meet our obligations to low- and middle-income countries.”
The inspections are expected to last until the end of March.
“This time-limited and effective system only covers the Covid-19 vaccines agreed upon through advanced purchase agreements with the EU,” said Valdis Dombrovskis, executive vice president and commissioner for trade.
“This mechanism contains a wide range of exemptions to fully meet our humanitarian aid obligations and to protect the delivery of vaccines in our area and in countries in need covered by the COVAX facility.”
EU approves AstraZeneca vaccine
The European Union was under pressure for what critics described as a slow introduction of Covid vaccines. The European Commission, the body that leads the purchase agreements, is blamed for not securing enough vaccines, and the region’s medical agency has been criticized for taking too long to approve vaccinations that have been given the green light elsewhere. .
On Friday, the European Medicines Agency approved the EU’s AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use, about a month after it first received the green light in the UK, which recently left the block.
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin spoke to CNBC on Friday, denying that this rift between Brussels and a British pharmaceutical company had turned into another ‘Brexit battle’.
“All in all, I think the European Commission has behaved well and efficiently in obtaining vaccines,” he said. “There is a lot of tension there … a lot of pressure on the commission of member states, of prime minister. Why? Because populations are under pressure, people are under pressure.”