EU threatening to cut off supply of vaccines to UK

[Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady]

Because they've not got enough apparently (despite the fact that they've got a shit load of AZ stockpiled because they've mostly stopped using it)

This is really starting to piss me off now, and has someone who is due 2nd Pfizer jab in 8 weeks in starting to worry I won't get it!

They're threatening to stop supply to USA too.

Wankers

www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/ursula-von-der-leyen-threatens-cut-off-covid-exports-uk-b924652.html

I keep reading articles that Biden and usa seek greater relationship with EU and repair relationships with Germany than seek special relationships with UK.
The Democrats dident want brexit but Obama comments about Britain being back of the queue dident help.
Biden and Nancy made some noise over Ireland but were strangely quiet when eu envied article 16.
Brexit agreement has caused problems in ni both for business and Increasing tensions.
I'm not sure if we should have left with no deal as current one we have feels like could fall apart and its only march.

Another interesting fact is the az factory bottling plant in Italy is owned by an American firm from New Jersey.
The Italian pm dragon and macron have formed a bond and common alignment.
Italy seem really keen to do a deal with the Russian to manufacture the vaccine there.
UK is obviously not pro Russia.
Not sure where Germany stand.
Cant imagine America be pleased

Whats a technocrat priminister dident the Italian vote him in?
Merkel seems loyal to udvl but thought she was standing down anyway.
Macron has the most to fear although not sure how the French perceive him.
Have France gone into full lockdown as my aunts son lives there and she says it still curfews which make me chuckle even my teenagers said does that mean covid doesn't go out at night.

I would like to think despite him being a opportunistic idiot that bojo wouldn't interfere with private company croda however I think if eu followed through and blocked moderna and pfizer I think there be all he'll to pay.
Once again maybe its UK media driven that moderna was arriving any day now but I assume now its not.

Thanks limits up really interesting article.
Belgium and Netherlands have most to lose economically as big on pharmaceuticals.
The commission already raided the Belgium factory and gone through confidential paper work.
I gather the contract between az Sweden and eu is subject to Belgian law.
I guess in union with 27 states there's always a power struggle.
Despite what they say about UK we were were I think 4th biggest contributer and I think Germany has lost money by UK leaving.
I gather Merkel wanted to give in negotiation and macron wanted to play hardball.
I don't know who's more dangerous udvl or macron.

Hopefully she doesn't mean time will tell she can't punish UK because a private company has let them down and thier contract a bit iffy.
She has to separate the idea of state, private goods,contracts and companies.

I do think UK will offered some vaccines to Ireland.
It makes sense Canada/ Mexico being same continent and neighbours that usa helps them out totally logical as this export ban doesn't only affect UK.
No idea what action Australia will they take they trying to be diplomats.

I did know India big on pharmaceutical.
I just assumed only the 2 UK sites and possibly Netherlands were part if original supply chain to UK.
I think az designed each continent vto have a factory but don't think they all up and running.

Whoever said the tortoise thing up thread has caused me to spit my ginger ale all over my laptop screen.

@MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously

I can understand using AZ for only 55+ if you have a fuck ton of alternative vaccines readily available. But if you don't, and your country is in its 3rd wave, and you have to have yet another lockdown, then it's madness. Even if there's a tiny risk, it's much less than the risk associated with Covid.

I think it’s cuz at the moment are focusing on elderlies hence they can vaccine this people and in a few weeks / months then move down with other vaccines. I’m Spanish and my area is currently vaccinating those age 80. They were doing police forces and teachers with az but this might stop now for women. So not sure what will they do. They might just focus on age for a bit til it’s more clear what happens in Europe with az

Pfizer warns EU to back down on vaccine threats to UK

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/19/pfizer-urges-eu-back-away-vaccine-blockade-threat/

"Pfizer has warned the EU to back down from its threat to block vaccines to the UK because the firm needs crucial ingredients shipped from Yorkshire, The Telegraph has learned.

"The drugmaker and its partner BioNTech have told Brussels that the UK has the power to retaliate against any export ban by withholding raw materials needed for its jab.

"Croda International, a chemicals firm based in Staith, North Yorkshire, has been delivering vital "fatty molecules" to Pfizer's factories in the EU since signing a five-year contract with the firm in November.

"Pfizer and BioNtech are understood to have warned EU leaders that production at the main vaccine factory in Belgium could "grind to a halt" within weeks if the UK moved to prevent deliveries from crossing the Channel."

And it ends:

"A Pfizer spokesman said: "We have been clear with all stakeholders that the free movement of goods and supply across borders is absolutely critical to Pfizer and the patients we serve. We are working closely with governments around the world, including the UK Government and the European Commission, to ensure the supply of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in accordance with the agreed schedules."

Thanks god companies are standing are for themselves and not allowing this bulling. Vaccines don’t belong to countries but businesses and their clients.

Good on Pfizer. Perhaps that will give the commission something to think about

It feels a bit embarrassing that Pfizer had to do that though!

I’m not surprised Pfizer don’t want EU control over commercial contracts and flow

Wonder what EU will do next or finally back down

I keep reading articles that Biden and usa seek greater relationship with EU and repair relationships with Germany than seek special relationships with UK.

I'm an American and a fairly close observer of US politics and I don't see this at all. There's no damage to our relationship with Germany or the EU that needs repair and while the special relationship was dinged by Obama the damage was temporary and more about his personal point of view than a cultural change.

The Democrats dident want brexit but Obama comments about Britain being back of the queue dident help. Biden and Nancy made some noise over Ireland but were strangely quiet when eu envied article 16.

Democrats mostly thought Brexit was a bad idea, but none of our business at the end of the day. Biden is not Obama. Biden is of Irish heritage, as I am, along with roughly 10% of the US population. Biden is much more sympathetic to the UK than Obama was, who had a bit of a bug up his butt about the UK for whatever reason.

The general feeling here is the EU has become a walking advert for Brexit by showing themselves to be feckless, bullying incompetents. And if they try to steal the property of American companies there will be hell to pay.

And as far as Biden being strangely silent when the EU invoked article 16 I think it's very safe to assume that conversations were happening in private, not public. Not everything makes it into the newspapers.

Ah, glad to read that Telegraph article.

Also, thanks for the US politics insights MissConduct

The damage that VDL is doing to Europe right now, and it is reputation is irreparable already.

History seems to be repeating itself. With covid as the catalyst.

The EU are struggling to let go of the UK, struggling with the concept that is now an independent nation. The vaccine success of the UK only increases this sense of bitterness and anger in the EU. Had the UK failed as well, this would have been easier to bear. It now highlights to the world that the UK and EU are now separate, and maybe the EU were not ready for that on every any level. They never really believed brexit would happen.

And now it is playing out publicly with the EU's unreasonable and petulant demands that the UK hands over it's vaccines. Used to getting their own way, they have sunk to new lows to try and force the issue. They are in fact trying to make the UK a subordinate to the EU, but I don't think that is going to work out well. At all.

The EU commission are bullies used to getting their own way, and now for the first time they are coming up against some real opposition. It is not pleasant to watch.

Very interesting to hear from across the pond @MissConductUS, thanks!

And @Itsalonghaul, I agree. This seems to be turning into an existential crisis for the EU on many levels. Three of them being -

One: Competency. Not much of that being shown...

Two: The EU has always seen itself as showing the rest of the world how to behave, and seeking to spread its supposedly liberal values to the rest of a grateful world. It also prided itself on being the antidote to nationalism. Well...

Three: Brexit. The UK was supposed to fail once it left the EU, pour encourager les autres. Oops...

AND ANOTHER THING Just a brief rant before I have to go

I got so tired of being told, in the leadup to and after Brexit, that the UK was tiny and insignificant and that we should be begging supplicants to the EU, who were almighty and all-giving and some kind of neutral, beneficiant body.

Well, the scales sure seem to be falling from a lot of people's eyes right now. And it turns out that the UK isn't so tiny and insignificant after all, is it?!

That is because the UK is a world leader in the very area most needed: science and genomics.

@Umbivalent

AND ANOTHER THING Just a brief rant before I have to go

I got so tired of being told, in the leadup to and after Brexit, that the UK was tiny and insignificant and that we should be begging supplicants to the EU, who were almighty and all-giving and some kind of neutral, beneficiant body.

Well, the scales sure seem to be falling from a lot of people's eyes right now. And it turns out that the UK isn't so tiny and insignificant after all, is it?!

India Govt told the Serum Inst to keep more vaccine within the country......5m doses prevented from going to the UK.... not a squeak from the UK Govt, MSM or even MN.....

On the other hand, if the EU dares to even mention the subject ..... with the threat that we will stop export of a vital ingredient, just to make sure a few more elderly in the EU die.

The UK has vaccinated its most vulnerable (50% of its adult population) its way ahead on 2nd doses, it should be clear to even the most angry anti european, that as countries like Italy face a repeat of last March, its incredibly selfish of us to say "i'm 40, no health issues and i want my jab before that 80yo in Bergamo" on 2nd thoughts, no it wont, you'll still demand your vaccine first.

Our contracts specify AZ cannot send vaccine to anyone else until ALL of us are vaccinated... an export ban in all but name - buts thats all ok.

i'm in my 50s, live in an area where the infection rate is 15 per 100k, i would if it were possible to, give my dose to an 83yo gentle i know down in Ax Les Thermes.

This thread shows the utter selfishness of the human race at its worst.

India Govt told the Serum Inst to keep more vaccine within the country......5m doses prevented from going to the UK.... not a squeak from the UK Govt, MSM or even MN

What do you mean, not a squeak?! We were discussing it upthread! There was outrage. I believe it is now being dealt with with diplomacy.

This thread shows the utter selfishness of the human race at its worst

Now waaaaaait a minute! You can't say that one minute, then say this the next:

Our contracts specify AZ cannot send vaccine to anyone else until ALL of us are vaccinated

Make your mind up!

India Govt told the Serum Inst to keep more vaccine within the country......5m doses prevented from going to the UK.... not a squeak from the UK Govt, MSM or even MN

I mean, if there wasn't a squeak - how did we all hear about it? Hmm?

As ever, we get the double standards.

The EU wants to keep all vaccines until its populace has been jabbed = reasonable and fair.

The UK wants to do the same thing = vaccine nationalism!! Selfish!! Unfair!!

But people in Britain cannot be responsible for everyone else in the whole world. The UK has heavily financed a not for profit vaccine and helped to set up supply chains in the EU. Personally I think no one over 50 who is going to be getting their jab has any right to call under 50s selfish for wanting ours too, (we have and will be paying for it indefinitely) so that we can get back out into the world and rebuild our economy.

It's all very well saying 40 year olds have low risk, but it's not your risk to take jasjas because I doubt you'll be turning yours down!
There are many younger people suffering long Covid. As much as I feel sorry for the 83 year old in Europe, I feel more sorry for people like Kate Garraway's DH or the doctor I saw on the news last week who barely has the energy to walk anymore! Your 83 year old friend could have had their vaccination if their own govt wasn't sitting on supplies and stirring up fear of AZ. She needs to take up her issue with her own govt.

I think we need to brace for things to get even worse with the EU.

The third wave has now arrived in Europe, they are already tired (as we were when it happened to us) they now face the same thing that we did. Overwhelmed hospitals, death rate spiralling, lockdowns and more lockdowns. This is going to cause a great deal of anger from the public that will demand to know why they were not protected from the vaccine as promised by the commission. Understandably the anger and recrimination will grow the worse things get.
Many of the southern European countries were counting on this summer for the tourism boost, and countries like Italy were already in dire straits economically before this all began. They are depending on this year's reopening. I feel extremely sad when I consider the position they now find themselves in.

This is a tinder box, when we consider the elections in Germany and France as well.

I can see why the commission is absolutely 'shitting itself' - to put it without eloquence. If we see riots across Europe because the commission failed them. Due to the catalogue of failures we could see Marine Le Pen successfully installed in France next year, therefore eliminating all chance of further EU integration over night.

We will see, for sure, a very different Europe emerging from the rubble post covid. The changes will be monumental, and that is what the commission fears the most, and not without good reason.

Agreed. And, ironically, if anything the way the EU has behaved has increased nationalism within it. For instance, Germany is now going it alone to get the Sputnik vaccine from Russia...

It is incredible that the EU demand us to give up our vaccines and chance of not dying from covid to save their own.

Bearing in mind that at the peak of our third wave on Christmas Eve France decided to unilaterally close all the ports and all trade over night with no notice whatsoever, threatening our food supplies and medicine. That is what France did for us when we were hit by the third wave with our hospital buckling and with our people reeling from shock and loss.

So please do not talk to me about goodwill jasjas!!! Because the only thing our neighbours and allies did for us in our moment of need was kick us as hard as they fucking could. Did they hold out the hand of human kindness? Cutting off our food and medical supply in the height of crisis that is what they did.

So lets not forget what happened just a few months ago.

It was an utter disgrace, and will not be forgotten here for a very very long time.

What the EU need is someone who, when they find themselves in a corner, can act diplomatically and with a cool head. Unfortunately, they have got someone who makes knee jerk reactions without thinking through the wider implications. People like that are unpredictable and not who you want running a block representing the best interests of 27 countries. She is clearly out of her depth and doing irreparable damage.