AstraZeneca will not be able to export vaccines until it completes its supply with the European Union

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that AstraZeneca Plc must meet its vaccine supply commitments with the European Union before you are allowed to export doses.

In a press conference after a virtual summit with EU leaders, von der Leyen laid out the reasons for a plan announced on Wednesday at give the bloc greater powers to ban exports of covid vaccines, and shift responsibility to manufacturers.

“We could have been much faster if all the pharmaceutical companies had fulfilled their contracts”, He said. “AstraZenaca is committed to reducing the agreed doses.”

AstraZeneca Updates Data, Says Vaccine Is 76% Effective

As Europe stands on the brink of a third wave of infections, the EU and its 27 governments have been pushed by a hesitant vaccination strategy. The bloc is already behind the US and UK in its inoculation rollout, and governments across the continent have announced extensions or tightened blockades as the health crisis worsens.

The export ban plan had received a cold response from some of the EU’s own governments ahead of the talks. And while leaders did not attempt to reverse it at Thursday’s summit, some were clearly less enthusiastic than von der Leyen.

“We have agreed with the committee that if companies do not honor their contracts, export restrictions will of course be more likely than when companies respect their agreements with the EU,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

More restrictions in Europe could block vaccine export

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi was one of the biggest supporters of export restrictions and when convening the summit urged their counterparts to take action against the drug companies responsible for the delaysaccording to an official familiar with his remarks.

The figures presented to the leaders by von der Leyen show that, although Since December 1, the bloc has administered 62 million doses, pharmaceutical companies have exported 77 million doses produced in the EU to other countries. Of that number, 21 million were sent to Britainan EU official said.

On Wednesday, the EU and the UK released a joint statement, saying they were working on ways to “create a win-win situation”. For weeks, the two sides argued over the bloc’s threat to cut off supplies..

Carla Vizzotti announced the arrival of the AstraZeneca vaccine in April

“Europe is not a selfish continent”Contrary to what “I read in the press across the Channel,” French President Emmanuel Macron said of some reports in the UK.

According to the commission’s plan, there will be no automatic export ban. Brussels officials will take into account the vaccination rate and the pandemic situation of a country before deciding whether or not to approve submissions.

“We hope that it is not necessary to block vaccine exports,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told reporters. “But it’s good to have the mechanism as a safety measure, just in case”.

H V