The move affecting 250,000 doses reflects frustration within the block over the lack of promised vaccine deliveries.
Australia said it had called for a review after its shipment of a quarter of a million AstraZeneca vaccines could not leave the European Union in the first use of the block of an export control system designed to ensure large companies pharmaceutical companies would respect their contracts.
The European Commission accepted Italy’s order to block the shipment of 250,000 doses, which has been harshly criticized by the Anglo-Swedish company this year for supplying only a fraction of the vaccine doses it had promised.
The measure, which affects only a small number of vaccines, underscores growing frustration within the 27-country bloc over the slow implementation of its vaccine and the lack of promised vaccine deliveries, especially by AstraZeneca.
“Australia has raised the issue with the European Commission through multiple channels and in particular we have asked the European Commission to review this decision,” Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters on Friday.
Hunt said Australia had already received 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca shot, which would last until it could produce more of the vaccine locally.
The Financial Times first reported that Italy had pushed for the ban on Thursday. The government of Mario Draghi, which came to power last month, has taken a tougher line to address the shortage of vaccines.
While seeking the intervention of the European Commission, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he could understand the reasons for Italy’s objection.
“In Italy, people die at a rate of 300 a day. And so, without a doubt, I can understand the high level of anxiety that would exist in Italy and in many European countries, ”Morrison told Sydney journalists.
Given the scarcity of doses during the early stages of the vaccine campaign that began in late December, the EU established an export control system for COVID-19 vaccines.
Under the commission’s “transparency and authorization mechanism”, EU member states control planned exports of authorized COVID-19 vaccines leaving the bloc.
Australia launched its COVID-19 vaccination program with the Pfizer / BioNTech jab last month [File: Steven Saphore/AFP]
The EU has been particularly angry with AstraZeneca for delivering far fewer doses to the region than it had promised. Of the 80 million initial doses the EU ordered for the first quarter, the company will struggle to deliver only half of that amount.
“Worrying trend”
The World Health Organization (WHO) in January said the EU’s export verification system was part of a “very worrying trend” that could jeopardize global vaccine supply chains. The EU is one of the world’s leading producers of vaccines.
The scheme began on January 30 and will remain in force at least until the end of March.
The EU has only vaccinated 8% of its population compared to more than 30%, for example, in the UK. Australia, which closed its borders a year ago and has a negligible number of COVID-19 cases, is in the early stages of its vaccination process.
With its 450 million people, the EU has signed agreements for six different vaccines. In total, it has ordered up to 400 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and sealed agreements with other companies for more than two billion shots.
He said that despite the current difficulties, he is still convinced that he can vaccinate 70 per cent of the adult population at the end of the warmer months in the region.