EU warns against vaccine exports, “if pharmaceutical companies do not keep their promises, they will not be allowed”

The European Union (EU) also warned that it would block vaccine exports.

According to foreign media such as Deutscheville (DW), Germany, on the 8th (local time), EU Commissioner of the European Commission Ursula von der Reien said, “If a pharmaceutical company does not keep its promise to supply a vaccine for Corona 19, it cannot permit export.”

“I support the Italian government’s decision to stop exporting vaccines,” he said. “This is not a temporary measure.” Earlier last week, Italy blocked exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was supposed to be produced in the country and exported to Australia. Chairman Pon der Raien foretold that such measures could be extended to EU member states in the future.

“I’m tired of the EU being a victim of a slow vaccine supply,” he said in an interview with German economic magazine Wirtshaftsvoche. “It’s disrupting vaccination,” he said.

This is the second time since last January that the EU has put a brake on the export of the corona 19 vaccine. At the time, the EU pulled out an export control card in response to AstraZeneca’s opposition to reducing the initial volume, which had been promised due to production disruption.

It even threatened to block exports of Pfizer vaccines produced in Europe, targeting the UK, where AstraZeneca’s headquarters are located, when the vaccine was exported outside of Europe. Conflict escalated as the British met up with the plan to first supply the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in the country to the UK.

As a result, criticism from the international community poured into the’vaccination battle’, and the conflict ended as the EU withdrew its plan to block exports.

However, there were many analyzes that internal conflicts could reignite as the situation in Europe’s vaccine supply shortages deepens. Until now, complaints have been steadily raised among EU member states that vaccination has been delayed due to a lack of vaccine.

In this situation, Chairman Pon der Raien again revealed the position that vaccine exports could be prevented. In particular, as Bloomberg News reported on the day that the U.S. government is making a move to restrict the export of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine raw materials and supplies, there were also concerns that the vaccine battle could expand to the world.

In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, “More than three-quarters of the COVID-19 vaccinations account for 60% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP). “We can make the world’s economic recovery efforts in vain,” he warned.

Reporter Lee Min-jung [email protected]