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Prime ministers

EU Vaccine Row Escalates as Boris Johnson Rejects Bloc's Accusations of Blocking Jab Exports

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

In a heated exchange over coronavirus vaccine exports, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied accusations by the European Union's President Charles Michel that the UK has blocked the export of jabs or vaccine components. Johnson countered that Britain has not blocked the export of a single Covid-19 vaccine or component, while the EU has maintained a blanket ban on its own exports, citing the UK's "outright ban" on exporting vaccines. This despite the UK having no such ban, and a European Commission concession that Britain had no restrictions on exports. Italy's decision to block the export of 250,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Australia has sparked tensions, and EU officials have criticized the UK for failing to meet its vaccination commitments.

Key Takeaways:

  • The UK has not blocked the export of a single Covid-19 vaccine or component, contrary to EU claims by President Charles Michel.
  • The EU has a blanket ban on its own vaccine exports, citing the UK's non-existent "outright ban" on exporting vaccines.
  • The European Commission conceded that Britain had no restrictions on exports, contradicting President Michel's statements.
  • Italy has blocked the export of 250,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Australia, the first country to trigger an EU mechanism introduced after supply shortfalls.
  • The EU has exported a total of 35 million doses of vaccines, including nine million to the UK, while Britain has exported no vaccines to the EU.
  • AstraZeneca's decentralised manufacturing model, with supply chains built worldwide, has enabled cheap and large-scale production of the vaccine.
  • EU officials have criticized the UK for failing to meet its vaccination commitments, with Brussels blaming shortfalls in promised deliveries of AstraZeneca jabs.

Statistics:

  • The EU has exported 35 million doses of vaccines, with nine million going to the UK (Source: EU officials)
  • Italy has blocked the export of 250,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Australia (Source: EU officials)
  • The UK has exported no vaccines to the EU (Source: EU officials)
  • The AstraZeneca vaccine was developed with UK taxpayer support (Source: UK Government spokesman)
  • 35 million: Total doses of vaccines exported by the EU (Source: EU officials)
  • 9 million: Number of vaccine doses exported by the EU to the UK (Source: EU officials)
  • 250,000: Number of AstraZeneca vaccines blocked by Italy for export to Australia (Source: EU officials)

Sources:

  • "Boris Johnson: EU jab export ban 'totally unacceptable'" (Source: Evening Standard, February 2021)
  • "EU threatens UK with vaccine export ban" (Source: Politico, January 2021)
  • "UK Government confirms AstraZeneca vaccine production in the UK" (Source: UK Government press release, February 2021)

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