BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union on Wednesday threatened to ban exports of COVID-19 vaccines to Britain to safeguard meager doses for its own citizens facing a third wave of the pandemic that would undermine plans to restart travel in this country. summer.
With the number of COVID-related deaths in the EU reaching 550,000 and less than a tenth of the bloc’s population inoculated, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the epidemiological situation is getting worse.
“We are in the crisis of the century,” she told reporters.
“We see the crest of a third wave forming in the member states and we know that we need to accelerate vaccination rates.”
Von der Leyen said that the flow of vaccine products is smooth with the United States, but expressed frustration at the lack of deliveries by AstraZeneca in Britain. She said 10 million doses were from EU factories to the former member state.
“We are still waiting for doses to arrive from the UK,” said von der Leyen in the last sign of tying ties between Britain and the 27-nation bloc since Brexit.
“If this situation does not change, we will have to reflect on how to make exports to vaccine-producing countries depend on their level of openness. We will reflect on whether exports to countries with higher vaccination rates than we are still proportional. “
SUMMER TRIP?
She spoke while six EU countries complained to Brussels about the reduction in deliveries that are hampering the bloc’s already problematic vaccination campaign, which is struggling amid the reduction in deliveries from AstraZeneca.
To further complicate the picture, several EU nations, including its largest members, Germany, France and Italy, have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine this week, pending safety checks.
The situation threatens plans announced by the Commission to launch a “green digital certificate” that would gather information on vaccinations, tests and COVID recovery to allow travelers to cross borders freely again.
Southern EU countries that depend on tourism and other proponents of the new COVID-19 certificate expect it to win final approvals in June and be online in time for the high season. But countries like France, Belgium and Germany expressed skepticism.
EU countries will be under pressure to agree on a common position quickly for its 450 million inhabitants. The task is further complicated by uncertainty about whether inoculants can transmit the virus and public skepticism about vaccines.
Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska, Philip Blenkinsop, Francesco Guarascio, Sabine Siebold, Jan Strupczewski, Foo Yun Chee, Written by Gabriela Baczynska, Edited by John Chalmers and Andrew Cawthorne