UK confident of COVID vaccinations after obtaining EU guarantees

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain is confident that its vaccination program COVID-19 is guaranteed after receiving guarantees from the European Union, the Minister of Commerce said on Sunday, trying to calm a discussion about supplies.

Just a month after Britain completed its withdrawal from the bloc, ties with Brussels were severely tested on Friday, when the EU’s plan to control vaccine exports included triggering an emergency clause in previous agreements Brexit.

The move, which was quickly reversed, brought British politicians together in criticism of the EU’s threat to create a tough border that it has long said it wants to avoid between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.

“We know that this supply is safe, we are absolutely confident that we can continue to deliver our program. We have received assurances from the European Union that these contracts will not be interrupted, ”Liz Truss told Sky News.

With the dispute suggesting persistent mistrust between the two sides of Brexit, Truss said he was pleased that the EU had admitted its “mistake”.

She added pointedly: “It is vital to work together, it is vital to keep borders open, to resist vaccine nationalism and protectionism.”

‘HELP OTHERS’

Truss did not rule out the oversupply offer to other nations, but only after Britain vaccinated its population.

“In fact, in the coming months we hope to be in a position to help other countries with the supply of vaccines, including our friends and neighbors, but also the developing world,” she told Times Radio.

The EU is far behind Great Britain and the United States in vaccinations. She announced on Friday that she would impose export controls on vaccines, widely seen as a threat to prevent doses being sent to Britain.

But he was forced to reverse part of the announcement within hours, after Britain and Ireland complained about plans to impose emergency vaccine export controls across the land border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that the lessons need to be learned from the fight, which he believes originated in a dispute between the European Commission and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

“My observation is that the terrible dispute – it is a bitter dispute between AstraZeneca and the Commission over the company’s contractual obligations regarding the supply of vaccines to European member states – has taken center stage here,” he said.

“I think there was a shock across Europe when (there was) the company’s original commitment in terms of 100 million doses, (then) it came out that it wouldn’t be done and that caused a lot of tension.”