European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference following a college meeting to introduce draft legislation on a common EU COVID-19 vaccination certificate at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium March 17, 2021. John Thys /Pool via REUTERS

By Sabine Siebold, Philip Blenkinsop and Gabriela Baczynska

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union threatened on Wednesday to ban exports of COVID-19 vaccines to Britain to safeguard scarce doses for its own citizens facing a third wave of the pandemic that would jeopardise plans to restart travel this summer.

With the number of COVID-related deaths in the EU topping 550,000 and less than a 10th of the bloc's population inoculated, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said the epidemiological situation was worsening.

"We are in the crisis of the century," she told reporters.

"We see the crest of a third wave forming in member states, and we know that we need to accelerate the vaccination rates."

Von der Leyen said the flow of vaccine products was smooth with the United States but aired frustration over a lack of deliveries from AstraZeneca in Britain. She said 10 million doses had gone from EU plants to the former member state.

"We are still waiting for doses to come from the UK," von der Leyen said in the latest sign of souring ties between Britain and the 27-nation bloc since Brexit.

"If this situation does not change, we will have to reflect on how to make exports to vaccine-producing countries dependent on their level of openness. We will reflect on whether exports to countries with higher vaccination rates than us are still proportionate."

The European Union on Wednesday threatened to ban exports of COVID-19 vaccines to Britain to safeguard scarce doses for its own citizens facing a third wave of the pandemic that would jeopardise plans to restart travel this summer. Francis Maguire reports.

British foreign minister Dominic Raab hit back, accusing the Commission of brinkmanship and calling for an explanation after the government had received assurances that the EU did not intend to curb exports which are under contract.

"I think it takes some explaining because the world's watching... It also cuts across the direct assurances that we had from the Commission," Raab told Reuters. "We expect those assurances and legal, contracted supply to be respected."

"Frankly, I'm surprised we're having this conversation. It is normally what the UK and EU team up with to reject, when other countries with less democratic regimes than our own engage in that kind of brinkmanship."

SUMMER TRAVEL?

Von der Leyen spoke as six EU countries complained to Brussels about reduced deliveries that are hampering the bloc's already troubled inoculation campaign struggling amid reduced deliveries by AstraZeneca.

Further complicating matters, various EU nations including its largest members Germany, France and Italy this week halted AstraZeneca shots pending safety checks.

The situation threatens plans announced by the Commission to launch a "green digital certificate" that would collate information on vaccinations, tests and COVID recovery to let travellers cross borders freely again.

Southern EU countries reliant on tourism hope the new certificate can win final approval in June and go online in time for the peak season. But countries including France, Belgium and Germany have voiced scepticism.

EU countries will be under pressure to agree a common position swiftly for their 450 million people. The task is further complicated by uncertainty over whether those inoculated can transmit the virus, and public scepticism about vaccines.

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska, Philip Blenkinsop, Francesco Guarascio, Sabine Siebold, Jan Strupczewski, Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by William James and Elizabeth Piper in London, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by John Chalmers, Andrew Cawthorne and Gareth Jones)

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-03-18

 

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8 minutes ago, webfact said:

The European Union threatened on Wednesday to ban exports of COVID-19 vaccines to Britain to safeguard scarce doses for its own citizens facing a third wave of the pandemic that would jeopardise plans to restart travel this summer.

Didn't they just suspend the AZ vaccine in half the EU???

Just wish everyone would stop blamstorming each other and start brainstorming and coordinating with each other glad I’m in the USA under Biden he’s not screwing around and getting things done!hopefulley when we have our house in order we can help the rest of the world especially the poorer nations 

9 minutes ago, Tug said:

Just wish everyone would stop blamstorming each other and start brainstorming and coordinating with each other glad I’m in the USA under Biden he’s not screwing around and getting things done!hopefulley when we have our house in order we can help the rest of the world especially the poorer nations 

Er, US still not approved the AZ yet have they and have everything on hold - I hear the Mexicans are now wanting it as the US are slow rolling the AZ out !

 

Hardly call that getting things done

Hands off my second dose Ursula you have been shot down and out smarted by Boris of all people how stupid she now looks ????

The EU has a pathetic vaccine rollout, suspends AZ and still complains it's someone else's fault. What an inept 'organisation.'

anyone remember those BS slogans floating around a while back. 

stronger together......

this is a perfect example of why our species only talks a big game. are we really fighting over a vaccine ? really ?

i would like to leave earth now.  

39 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Er, US still not approved the AZ yet have they and have everything on hold - I hear the Mexicans are now wanting it as the US are slow rolling the AZ out !

 

Hardly call that getting things done

The US vaccination program is moving along nicely and smoothly.  There are 3 vaccines approved and in use, including Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.   Novavax appears to be close to approval and AZ is in the pipeline.   

Nobody is slowing down anything.   Once their trials are finished, they will be reviewed by an independent panel of experts who will make a recommendation to the FDA who will authorize or deny approval.   

Supplies of the vaccines are plentiful and the supply chain is working well.  Most people have found the biggest problem is actually getting an appointment.   More and more facilities, from drug stores to grocery stores are giving the vaccine.   Mobile units are helping to get to groups that might otherwise have trouble getting the shot.

I highly doubt there is anything wrong with the AZ vaccine.  People are going to die after the vaccine and most, if not all, of those deaths will have nothing to do with the vaccine, but they do need to be investigated.   

since people started getting covid after being properly immunized, i wouldn't worry too much about vaccine. time will tell if any of those are actually effected agaist new strains or even old ones

Thankfully the UK are out of the EU and this just highlights what a sham and protectionist racquet they are. They are also deflecting their inept vaccine rollout programme.

The UK have made the EU look inept and the number of adults receiving the vaccine in the UK and the COVID cases across Europe is quantifiable evidence.

If I was in the EU would be voting for the removal of Ursula and her cronies. Hold on you can't can you. What a wonderful organisation it is (sarcasm).

3 hours ago, webfact said:

the epidemiological situation was worsening.

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

"We are still waiting for doses to come from the UK," von der Leyen said

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Raab told Reuters. "We expect those assurances and legal, contracted supply to be respected."

What concerns the part of the contract signed by the europeans , it has to be respected .

But the part signed by the british can be neglected ...?

The EU embarrassing themselves yet again. What a farce. What an inept organization.

I bet the citizens of the EU will never vote for this EU commission ever again after they made such a mess of things - Oh wait a minute, they didn't vote for them in the first place. That's handy, for the commission. 

What an undemocratic, spiteful, incompetent organization the EU has become. Thank god we're out. 

  

2 minutes ago, Victornoir said:

Treacherous Albion comes to mind.
Everyone should know that the English engagements are worth only the price of the paper and that this habit was accentuated with Johnson.
I regret that the EU did not prefer to contract with the Russians and China.
I hope that the lesson has been learned to avoid such a waste during the next calls for tenders, for these vaccines, for other products and services as well.

Ursula von der Leyen has done more to damage the reputation of the EU than Nigel Farage could ever dream of, even the remainers must be dumbstruck of how incompetent the EU is.

Tick tock.????????????

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/17/eu-threatens-to-halt-covid-vaccine-exports-to-uk-unless-it-gets-fair-share

 

right now we do not have enough vaccine but we are sending them abroad

Quote

Von der Leyen said the EU had received more than 300 requests for overseas vaccine shipments over the past six weeks and refused just one, and the bloc had exported 41m doses to 33 countries.

“This shows that Europe is trying to make international cooperation work,” she said. “But open roads run in both directions … It is hard to explain to our citizens why vaccines produced in the EU are going to other countries that are also producing vaccines, but hardly anything is coming back.”

so we have exported 41 doses

 

anyone knows how many doses the UK is exporting? I remember the question was asked by Von der Leyen to Jonhson last monday

 

... what i understand is the UK is not reciprocating  

Quote

But while the UK was producing AstraZeneca vaccines, and “there are even two sites in the UK that are in our contract for potential deliveries for the EU … we’re still waiting for doses to come from the UK. So this is an invitation for reciprocity.”

 

 

indeed 

Quote

The British government has repeatedly said it has not imposed an export ban on vaccine components or completed doses, but it did ensure that vaccine doses produced by Oxford/AstraZeneca at the sites in Staffordshire and Oxford would supply Britain first.

so they say "no export ban", but "Britain first"

 

 

.. and in the meantime most of our export go to the UK

Quote

Von der Leyen said the bloc had exported 10m doses to the UK in the past six weeks, making it “country number one as far as exports from the EU is concerned”.

 

and note the UK mostly makes the "inferior AZ vaccine" while the EU mostly manufactures the "best" Pfizer vaccine

 

 

well there must be an explanation?  Or is it just a repeat of the usual scenario with the Brits in the EU for the last 40 years?

"The Brits complain while in fact we are being taken for a ride"

 

Von der Leyen is right “we will have to reflect on how to make exports to vaccine-producing countries dependent on their level of openness. And on whether exports to countries who have higher vaccination rates than us are still proportionate.”

 

I'm OK to make sacrifices, to help countries really needing help, but I'm not OK to help a country with a high vaccination rate, which moreover is importing our vaccines and giving nothing in return.

14 minutes ago, Hi from France said:

I'm OK to make sacrifices, to help countries really needing help, but I'm not OK to help a country with a high vaccination rate, which moreover is importing our vaccines and giving nothing in return.

The UK has a higher vaccination rate due to EU incompetence, simple.

3 hours ago, onebir said:

Didn't they just suspend the AZ vaccine in half the EU???

If they don't want the vaccine there are poor country who would gladly take it they have little money so just give it to them

2 hours ago, sungod said:

The EU has a pathetic vaccine rollout, suspends AZ and still complains it's someone else's fault. What an inept 'organisation.'

UK are well, to be out of the EU, nothing against the people of the EU, just the people that run the EU

30 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

The EU embarrassing themselves yet again. What a farce. What an inept organization.

I bet the citizens of the EU will never vote for this EU commission ever again after they made such a mess of things - Oh wait a minute, they didn't vote for them in the first place. That's handy, for the commission. 

What an undemocratic, spiteful, incompetent organization the EU has become. Thank god we're out. 

  

and its going to get WORSE wait and see starting from August when the UK and America have vaccinated over 85%of there population   

Troll post reported and removed.

 

englishmen shouldn't worry, though! boris said it, after the brexit, everything in the uk will  be all right. so no shortage of vaccine, of course not!

1 hour ago, Hi from France said:

 

 

and note the UK mostly makes the "inferior AZ vaccine" while the EU mostly manufactures the "best" Pfizer vaccine

 

 

Why would any European want the "inferior AZ vaccine" as you call it 

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Er, US still not approved the AZ yet have they and have everything on hold - I hear the Mexicans are now wanting it as the US are slow rolling the AZ out !

 

Hardly call that getting things done

Lol over 2 million Americans got vaccinated yesterday we allready have 3 approved vaccines it will be nice when the az vaccine earns approval then there will be 4 but any way over 2 million vaccinations in one day is indeed getting things done

2 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Thankfully the UK are out of the EU and this just highlights what a sham and protectionist racquet they are. They are also deflecting their inept vaccine rollout programme.

The UK have made the EU look inept and the number of adults receiving the vaccine in the UK and the COVID cases across Europe is quantifiable evidence.

If I was in the EU would be voting for the removal of Ursula and her cronies. Hold on you can't can you. What a wonderful organisation it is (sarcasm).

You forget that EU paid UK for vaccin and also paid billions to UK so they could build a vaccin factory and UK refuse to send vaccin to EU and not giving any of the money back. UK get vaccin from EU. 

What EU should learn is to never trust UK (no sarcasm).

1 minute ago, Parsve said:

You forget that EU paid UK for vaccin and also paid billions to UK so they could build a vaccin factory and UK refuse to send vaccin to EU and not giving any of the money back. UK get vaccin from EU. 

What EU should learn is to never trust UK (no sarcasm).

The UK paid far more into the EU coffers than they got back. What the EU should learn is that their whole entity will not survive if they continue in the way they are, on their domination of all Europe.  The UK showed the EU that they can't bully everyone.

The EU should learn to get their vaccine programme in order and stop deflecting from their incompetence, like postponing the Oxford vaccine.

It is a pity your are trying to defend the EU for their failure.

2 hours ago, Hi from France said:

 

 

 

and note the UK mostly makes the "inferior AZ vaccine" while the EU mostly manufactures the "best" Pfizer vaccine

 

 

Last time I checked East Yorkshire is in the UK 

And parts of the Pfizer vaccine are being made in East Yorkshire.

https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/uk-factories-making-astrazeneca-vaccine-19708380

Maybe VDL should check that all the vaccines manufactured in the EU  that the ingredients are 100% sourced from EU countries before announcing any export bans

18 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

The UK paid far more into the EU coffers than they got back. What the EU should learn is that their whole entity will not survive if they continue in the way they are, on their domination of all Europe.  The UK showed the EU that they can't bully everyone.

The EU should learn to get their vaccine programme in order and stop deflecting from their incompetence, like postponing the Oxford vaccine.

It is a pity your are trying to defend the EU for their failure.

Can you please tell me how much more UK have paid to EU for vaccin? You mix things up and not even get it right. UK started Brexit because they did not want foreigners in the country.

Everyday and in every way I am so very glad that the UK is out of the EU and out of the clutches of those European political  idiots .  How the other EU peoples put up with all their <deleted> amazes me, apart from the likes of Rumania et al, who milk the EU dry. 

5 minutes ago, Parsve said:

Can you please tell me how much more UK have paid to EU for vaccin? You mix things up and not even get it right. UK started Brexit because they did not want foreigners in the country.

Can you please read what I put. I never mentioned  the EU Vaccines, you did. Maybe you don't understand what the 'coffers' refers to.

It refers to all the money paid into the EU over its membership time (also the EEC). Still trying to defend the poor management of the EU on the vaccine farce I see.

13 minutes ago, Parsve said:

UK started Brexit because they did not want foreigners in the country.

No we didn't.  We 'started Brexit', as you put it, because we didn't want to be ruled by a bunch of political lightweights and Neanderthals,  within a Super State run by Germany and France. 

31 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Can you please read what I put. I never mentioned  the EU Vaccines, you did. Maybe you don't understand what the 'coffers' refers to.

It refers to all the money paid into the EU over its membership time (also the EEC). Still trying to defend the poor management of the EU on the vaccine farce I see.

Maybe you should learn to understand what you read and that your answer should not be about another subject. The article is about EU, UK, and vaccin nothing else an by the way about Brexit (if we should mention that), "Immigration to the UK was identified during the campaign as a threat to the economy, security and British (cultural) identity. [12] The issue of immigration was seen as one of the most important reasons for those who voted to leave the EU". (Cited from Wikipedia).