BRUSSELS (AP) – European Union leaders were unable to resolve a fight for the distribution of COVID-19 traits among member states on Thursday, but pledged to tighten control and production of vaccine exports in EU soil amid a lack of doses and peaks in new cases.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz criticized the allocation of shots to the EU, saying some countries received more than their fair share at the expense of others. As leader of a coalition of six countries, he demanded a correction mechanism that would increase tensions between capitals from where leaders held their remote summit.
“When member states have far fewer vaccines available than others, I think this is a big problem for Europe,” Kurz said. “This could cause damage to the European Union as we haven’t seen in a long time.”
At the end of the summit, the 27 EU nations were still locked in a dispute over how a next batch of 10 million doses could be allocated to reduce the vaccination gap between member states and leaders decided to push talks to a future meeting of its ambassadors.
According to the joint procurement program established by the European Commission, doses are allocated proportionally, but some nations take less. A large majority of EU members think the system works well, but said some nations made a mistake by focusing on the features of AstraZeneca instead of diversifying their vaccine portfolios. AstraZeneca vaccines are cheaper and easier to handle than Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, but the Anglo-Swedish company has disagreed with the block over repeated failures to deliver the doses agreed to in its contract.
The spread of more contagious virus variants has pushed hospitals in some EU countries to the brink. This, combined with the lack of vaccines available in Europe, has pushed several EU nations to impose strict closure measures during the Easter holidays.
Three months after vaccination campaigns began, Our World In Data showed that only 14% of the EU’s 450 million residents have had a gunshot wound, while the figure stands at 46% in Britain.
An EU source said that while the bloc had allowed 21 million doses of vaccine to be exported to the UK since December 1, while none had reached the EU from Britain.
“We can clearly see that British facilities are producing for Britain,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, although she joined Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in trying to calm the turbulent waters between the two sides. “We also want to take on a win-win situation here, that is, we want to act in a politically sensible way, because in part it’s a little more complicated than you think at first glance.”
Rutte said talks with the UK to get a fairer share of vaccines will resume on Saturday.
The German chancellor and other EU leaders also discussed the pandemic with President Joe Biden via a video link, the first such discussion with an American leader in 11 years, and von der Leyen he said both sides “agreed that we have a strong interest in working together to keep global supply chains running.”
Allegations of EU protectionism came as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tightened export controls on coronavirus shots this week. Even if the measure is detrimental to countries outside the EU, the European Commission’s goal is to force vaccine manufacturers, especially AstraZeneca, to deliver the doses they agreed on in their contracts. The commission also wants to ensure that the reciprocity of exports with vaccine-producing countries or the raw materials needed for them are applied.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said EU countries cannot remain “helpless” in the face of the failure of some pharmaceutical companies not meeting their commitments. He said European citizens feel they are being “cheated” by some drug manufacturers, according to an EU official who broadcast the exchange on condition of anonymity.
Overall, von der Leyen said the EU had allowed exports for a total of 77 million doses of vaccine, proof that the bloc of vaccine nationalism should not be accused. Only 62 million doses of vaccine have been administered across the EU.
The commission’s proposal has been divisive. While some countries consider it an instrument of last resort that should not be allowed to undermine the EU’s reputation as an open trading bloc, others called it a crucial tool to ensure that the doses and ingredients of the vaccine reaches the block.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said “it is important to leave this weapon unloaded”, while French President Emmanuel Macron insisted that the EU is “no longer naive” with its export control tool.
Despite delays in vaccine delivery, the EU continues to rely on vaccinating 70% of its adult population by the end of summer. Based on EU contracts with manufacturers, the commission expressed confidence that 360 million doses of vaccine will be delivered during the second quarter of the year.
Macron said that after a slow start in vaccine production in Europe, the EU will be in a position to develop between 2 and 3 billion doses a year by mid-2021.
“It means we will not only be able to meet our needs, but also export en masse and in the long run,” he said. “By the end of the summer, Europe will be the continent that will produce the most doses in the world.”
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Lorne Cook in Brussels, David Rising in Berlin and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.
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