A national flag of the United Kingdom flies next to the flags of the European Union (EU) in front of the Berlaymont building in Brussels.
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LONDON – The European Union and the United Kingdom have faced the export of coronavirus vaccines, and Britain fiercely denies blocking shipments to other nations.
The latest battle came after European Council President Charles Michel accused the UK on Tuesday of having a “direct ban” on Covid-19 vaccine exports.
He said in a bulletin that he was “surprised” to hear allegations of vaccine nationalism against the EU when other parts of the world, such as the UK and US, have “imposed direct bans” on these vaccines.
It was not the first time that European officials had commented on the issue. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a press conference in February that the United States and Britain have systems in place that block vaccine exports.
However, the British government was quick to deny the allegations on Tuesday. “The UK government has not blocked exports of a single Covid-19 vaccine. Any reference to a UK export ban or any restrictions on vaccines are completely false,” a government spokesman told CNBC .
The EU did not wait long to respond. Michel, who chairs the meetings between the 27 EU heads of state, said on Twitter that there are “different ways to impose bans or restrictions on vaccines / medicines”.
“I am glad that the UK’s reaction will lead to more transparency and increase exports,” he added.
UK Secretary of State Dominic Raab will hold talks with EU officials on Wednesday to clarify the situation.
How they got here
In late January there was concern about vaccine nationalism (the idea that a country or region is doing everything possible to make sure it has Covid-19 vaccines for its own population, even if this is to the detriment of other parts of the world).
The European Union, which has faced several problems over its deployment of vaccines, legislated at the time that member states could stop exports of Covid vaccines produced in the bloc. But this can only be applied in two cases: if a pharmaceutical company does not comply with the contracts it maintains with the EU and if the attacks go to countries considered not vulnerable. Low- and middle-income nations, as well as neighboring countries, are exempt from these restrictions.
These restrictions were first used last week, when Italy stopped a shipment of AstraZeneca toes going to Australia.
However, the EU has said it has not blocked any exports of vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, as these companies have so far respected their commitments to the EU.
“I have long argued that the relationship between the UK and the EU after Brexit would be difficult, but it even amazes me to what extent speed and speed have sunk,” he said via Twitter on Wednesday. Mujtaba Rahman, General Manager of the Eurasia Group.
What else is going on?
At the same time, the EU and the United Kingdom also disagree with their post-Brexit agreements.
The UK announced that it was extending the grace periods of the Irish Sea border controls, a commitment made with the EU during the bloc’s exit negotiations and which should have been completed by the end of March. Westminster has now given UK companies until October the preparation of new custom controls.
The EU has complained that this step was not discussed with them in advance and is now preparing legal action against the UK government.