Von der Leyen throwing her toys out the pram again, all over a vaccine that no one in the EU wants............................................. .......
The problems in the EU are all down to AZ.
From Sky News:
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She adds that AstraZeneca has "underproduced and underdelivered".
She appears to blame the company once again for delays to the EU's vaccine programme.
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Ms von dey Leyen says there is the "crest of a third wave forming in member states" and refers to the increasing numbers of new variants.
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Ursula von der Leyen hints very strongly that the EU could block vaccine exports to the UK.
Here are the relevant comments:
"Open roads run in both directions and this is why we need to ensure that there is reciprocity and proportionality
"I want to be clear on reciprocity. If the situation does not change, we will have to reflect on how to make exports to vaccine-producing countries dependent on their level of openness.
"We are exporting a lot to countries that are themselves producing vaccines and we think this is an invitation to be open, so we also see exports from them coming back to the European Union.
"The second point that is of importance for us, we will reflect on whether exports to countries who have higher vaccination rates than us are still proportionate."
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She says that the AstraZeneca contract refers to two production sites in the UK "for potential deliveries to the EU".
"We are still waiting for doses to come from the UK, so this is an invitation to show us that there are also doses from the UK coming to the European Union," she adds.
These remarks now making it very clear who the previous threats were being directed at.
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One journalist nails it.
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The commission is asked why it is effectively sparking a "vaccine war" with the UK over exports of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, given that large numbers of doses are laying unused in some member states due to fears over side-effects.
It is suggested her remarks are designed to distract from the bloc's sluggish rollout of vaccines.
"I trust AstraZeneca, I trust the vaccines," Ms Von der Leyen insists.
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