EU Moves Toward Stricter Export Controls for COVID Vaccines

Written by RAF CASERT

The European Union is moving toward stricter export controls to ensure that there are more COVID-19 shot supplies for the bloc which should boost its flagging vaccine drive at a time of another surge of the coronavirus pandemic on the continent.

The EU’s executive body said Wednesday on the eve of a summit of the 27 leaders that it has a plan ready to guarantee that more vaccines produced in the bloc are available for its own citizens before they can be shipped for exports.

EU nations have been specifically stung by the United Kingdom, which has received some 10 million doses from EU plants while they say nothing came back from Britain. The EU now insists on reciprocity as it sees vaccination rates in Britain racing upwards, while the bloc proceeds at a crawl.

“We have secured more than enough doses for the entire population. But we have to ensure timely and sufficient vaccine deliveries to EU citizens,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “Every day counts.”

The EU has been specifically irked by Anglo-Swedish company AstraZeneca. Last week, the European Union’s chief executive warned that the EU would not hesitate to take action against third-party nations.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU has approved the export of some 41 million vaccine doses to 33 countries in the last six weeks and believes that it stands at the forefront of international vaccine-sharing efforts.

Under a less stringent export control system in force so far, only one shipment in 381 has been barred.

The U.K. has been a specific target and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sought to ease tensions, speaking by phone in the past few days to European leaders including von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron.

“We’re all fighting the same pandemic across the whole of the European continent,” Johnson told a news conference on Tuesday evening. “Vaccines are an international operation,” he said, adding that the U.K. would “continue to work with European partners to deliver the vaccine rollout.

“We in this country don’t believe in blockades of any kind of vaccines or vaccine materials,” he said.

Still, the EU has been insisting that two AstraZeneca plants in Britain should also be part of the EU deliveries.

‹

Britain’s Boris Johnson Resigning as PM Amid Scandal

Written by DANICA KIRKA, JILL LAWLESS and SYLVIA HUI Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation Thursday amid a mass revolt by top members of his government, marking an end to three tumultuous years in power in which he brazenly bent and sometimes broke the rules of British politics. Months of defiance ended almost with […]

Fishing, Northern Ireland: EU, UK Back to Brexit Wrangling

Written by RAF CASERT and JILL LAWLESS It was late on Christmas Eve last year when the European Union and Britain finally clinched a Brexit trade deal after years of wrangling, threats and missed deadlines to seal their divorce. There was hope that now-separated Britain and the 27-nation bloc would sail their relationship toward calmer […]

U.K. Warns of ‘Bumpy’ Post-Brexit Transition Despite Deal

First came the Brexit trade deal. Now comes the red tape and the institutional nitty gritty. Four days after sealing a free trade agreement with the European Union, the British government warned businesses to get ready for disruptions and “bumpy moments” when the new rules take effect on Thursday night. Businesses were scrambling Monday to […]

EU Says That No-Deal Brexit Becoming Ever More Likely

A top European Union official dealing with the United Kingdom said Tuesday that a cliff-edge rupture between the two without even a basic trade deal by the end of the year is becoming more likely by the day. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic told the European Parliament that “time is short” to reach a […]

Johnson Hails ‘New Beginning’ for U.K. as Brexit Day Arrives

Britain begins the day as a member of the European Union. Its status at the end of the day — as a proud nation that has reclaimed its sovereignty, or a diminished presence in Europe and the world — will still be up for debate. Britain officially departs the EU at 11 p.m. local time […]

Britain’s Starmer Fights for His Job as Calls for His Ouster Grow After Local Election Losses

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting for his job after devastating local election results for his Labour Party spurred resignation calls.

European Leaders Gather for an Emergency Meeting Over Fear Trump Has Isolated Age-Old Allies

French President Emmanuel Macron called leaders from key European Union nations and the United Kingdom to his ornate Elysee Palace on Monday for an emergency meeting on how to react to the U.S. diplomatic blitz on Ukraine.

Leaked ‘Pandora’ Records Show How the Powerful Shield Assets

Written by MICHAEL LIEDTKE and JONATHAN MATTISE A new report sheds light on how world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires and others have used offshore accounts to shield assets collectively worth trillions of dollars over the past quarter-century. The report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists brought promises of tax reform and demands for resignations and […]

Northern Ireland Leaders Call for Calm After Night of Violence

Written by PETER MORRISON and JILL LAWLESS Young people set a hijacked bus on fire and hurled gasoline bombs at police in Belfast in at least the fourth night of serious violence in a week in Northern Ireland, where Britain’s exit from the European Union has unsettled an uneasy political balance. People also lobbed bricks, fireworks […]

EU Moves Toward Stricter Export Controls for COVID Vaccines

Written by RAF CASERT The European Union is moving toward stricter export controls to ensure that there are more COVID-19 shot supplies for the bloc which should boost its flagging vaccine drive at a time of another surge of the coronavirus pandemic on the continent. The EU’s executive body said Wednesday on the eve of a […]

›