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

Can you imagine if they actually allow vaccines to go out of date unused?

Let alone whilst having blocked sending them to the countries who ordered and paid for them?

Surely someone sane has some power in the EU - and surely there is some degree of accountability to citizens? Or is it as truly unaccountable and removed from the interests of it's members as many of us said?

It is now obvious to all the commission is totally unaccountable I think honey

The EU need to admit they got it wrong with the information on AZ, they need a big campaign to put trust back, until they do that sending our vaccines is a waste of time, but the EU will never do that, so all it does is stop anyone receiving the vaccine. Oh and the results from the USA trial on AZ are fantastic

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/health-56479462

@Itsalonghaul

hedda really so you expect the UK to see its own citizens die just to send vaccines to the EU that they are not even using?!!!

Are you for real?

Of course the UK is not going to send vaccines to countries that are sitting on a 14.8 million stockpile! Why the hell would they. Just the lunacy of that statement beggars belief.

When the EU have finally used up their vaccines, assuming they will not expire in the meantime and be thrown away - and we have vaccinated at least those that are most likely to die from the virus, THEN we can have the conversation about sharing!!!

I am all for sharing and helping, but not if the our precious much needed vaccines are sitting in fridges all over the bloc whilst people dither and delay deciding whether they deem the vaccine good enough for them! No thanks, they can have the Russian or Chinese vaccines instead.

Exactly

It’s ridiculous

What is going on anyway. Is it due to division of interests. EU flexing power only way they can as they see a crisis looming. Individual countries are responsible for getting uptake to improve?

So you get a system where vaccine is demanded but not used

Can you imagine if they actually allow vaccines to go out of date unused?

I'm still hopeful that won't happen, doesn't the AZ have a six month shelf life when properly stored? How can it be approaching it's use by date?

[quote Baileysforchristmas]The EU need to admit they got it wrong with the information on AZ, they need a big campaign to put trust back, until they do that sending our vaccines is a waste of time, but the EU will never do that, so all it does is stop anyone receiving the vaccine. Oh and the results from the USA trial on AZ are fantastic

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/health-56479462[/quote]
Fantastic news! I had missed that.

Is the US advising not to use the AZ jab for under 55s, like Macron is?

By the way @HeddaGarbled, you do get that Macron is denying a perfectly safe, proven vaccine from his citizens who are under 55? You do understand that?

This article says it all

www.politico.eu/article/trust-oxford-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-wanes-europe-survey/

[quote Baileysforchristmas]This article says it all

www.politico.eu/article/trust-oxford-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-wanes-europe-survey/[/quote]
No, surely not? The hokey cokey az dance was supposed to build faith in the vaccine for the logical citizens of the eu-right? What page on this thread was that on?

Miss conduct I live in uk so this is how the news is portrayed in British mainstream media.
Its not Biden per say its the Democrats long standing position on Brexit.
Example it never felt uk should leave the European Union and Obama was maybe too public and vocal about that during run up to the EU referendum that Britain would be back if the queue if we voted leave for trade deals with USA.
Some felt angry about this and wonder if it played a part in some voting leave.
I think it appeared uk and Boris had fab relationships with trump and were about to do deals with him.
However I think trump was more a fan kb the UK.
May and Boris have tried to be diplomatic they realised he was bit unhinged I think but UK and USA have close links on security issues still.

However in terms trade links we went from when trump was in power we defiantly get a trade deal..
Then the message changed to USA wants to focus more on trade relationship and communication with Europe not UK.
The latest article said BIden wants focus on USA and making it more competitive rather than doing trade deals abroad so doubtful there be any deal any time soon.
Thats not what bother people here.
But I think was has happened is during brexit negotiations once again the Democrats ie Nancy speaker of the House and Biden were quick to condemn uk saying we broke international law and they would never deal with uk if that was the case as Ireland was so important.
Yet when Europe evoked article 16 in January the silence from the USA was noticeable obviously was very start of Biden presidency so the guy was busy.
But the truth is speaking to freinds in ni is tensions in northern Ireland have increased due to issues around export and eu made in eu leave deal.
Ireland have asked other members states for vaccines.
I believe uk has offered them some or said they be 1st to have ours once we bit republic of Ireland i guess feel caught in middle.

On one hand theh share land border with uk.
November between both sides is part of good Friday agreement.
We do a lot of trade and many Irish live in no or uk.
We sort had our covid waves similar time.
But they don't want to be seen to betraying Europe so if USA could give them some AZ then they don't have to accept uk.
Its political and its daft but Ireland is a complex delicate matter.

I do realise Biden is quite centrist and is used working with all sides.
If EU interfere with US companies be interesting see what BIdn would do..
Right now he's blocking exports vaccines exactly like Trump.
I have family in the states for some reason they loved trump or rather his message America first as had few conversations over what to Americans see in trump.

Even last week I would have expected Biden to comment on EU serious threats to block all exports but not seen anything.
Maybe I missed it as our media is bit selective and bias with news.
Our media may show anti EU sentiment but UK people have nothing against Europeans so many live and work in UK.

This survey today by politico is sad.

Confidence in az within Europe is damaged

www.politico.eu/article/trust-oxford-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-wanes-europe-survey/

What EU fail to understand even in middle of 3rd wave is time is essential.
All this pausing they lost valuable time.
How long will it take persuade eu citizen az is safe now..even if leaders are shown to have had it.

www.politico.eu/article/trust-oxford-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-wanes-europe-survey/

Bloomburg is reporting the uk hasent event requested any exports from Netherlands in 2021 so if we made no orders how can they block orders we haven't currently got with eu factories.
We produce some az and the rest will come from India eventually.

Its pfizer and moderna thats our big worry but also them impacts on USA as US firms.
This to me seems key time for BIden to give a warning speech to EU before they meet Thursday and potentially make more disastrous decisions just to spite UK.

*Italy has more than 1.5m AZ ­vaccines, the European Centre for Disease ­Prevention and Control said. The third most populous EU country behind Germany and France had used just 322,801 of its jabs - 21.3 per cent, as of Friday. It is a lower percentage than every other EU country except Malta, which has not received any AZ vaccines at all.

Germany has 1.4m doses of AZ and has dished out 466,596 or 32 per cent of its stock. France has just over 1.1 million AZ doses and has administered 275,529, 24 per cent. Spain has administered 47 per cent (382,962) out of its 808,600 doses of the Oxford inoculation.

Belgium is the closest to Italy's low rate, doling out just 21.7 per cent of its 201,600 AZ jabs. Italy still performs poorly in the EU when it comes to the percentage of its total vaccine stock of 6.4 million jabs.

Rome has administered 67.6 per cent, 4.3 million doses, of its stock, which lags behind most of the EU, including Spain, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Portugal and Romania. Only Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have used a lower percentage*

Just sad, sad, sad, for my Italian rellies. Only now are they starting to set up mass vaccination centres, and they are sticking to the 3 week interval, so most vulnerable have still not had even one shot.

marsha yes you are right, it it the responsibility of each member state to encourage their people to take the vaccine, however what real chance do they stand even with the best will, against the tsunami of misinformation that has deliberately flowed out of Germany, France and the commission.

I never thought I would see the day when Merkel lowered herself to this kind of gutter politics.

I have admired her greatly for years, for her sound pragmatic and reasoned calm thinking in the face of any crisis. I feel genuinely shocked that she of all people, did not put a stop to this nonsense immediately when it started. I expected nothing better than resentful bile from Macron given their vaccines failure, but Germany have always been the restrained and sensible country that could be trusted. They have always countered the French BS. Now we are seeing a determined purposeful campaign to discredit AZ, all the while championing Pjizer (despite the same unconnected clotting issues) It has been deeply chilling and disturbing to witness, and shows a callous disregard for the lives of their own people, if a cheap shot can be scored.

Perhaps Merkel is ill? Because this lack of judgement, spite and ill thought out rhetoric is not in keeping with her usual persona.

European confidence in AstraZeneca vaccine safety sinks after blood clot scare (changes in last 2/3 weeks)

france safe 23% (-10) / unsafe 61% (+18)
italy safe 36% (-18) / unsafe 43% (+27)
Germany safe 32% (-11) / unsafe 55% (+15)
Spain safe 38% (-21) / unsafe 52% (+27)

@3asAbird This has gotten OT and I don't want to beat it to death, but I think the newspapers you read have a very superficial understanding of Joe Biden. He's a deeply religious man with no ill will towards anyone. He's been so successful politically because he puts aside differences to work with others. He's one of the few genuinely nice people in high-level American politics. It borders on paranoia to think that he's concealing some sort of vendetta against the UK.

@Itsalonghaul

marsha yes you are right, it it the responsibility of each member state to encourage their people to take the vaccine, however what real chance do they stand even with the best will, against the tsunami of misinformation that has deliberately flowed out of Germany, France and the commission.

I never thought I would see the day when Merkel lowered herself to this kind of gutter politics.

I have admired her greatly for years, for her sound pragmatic and reasoned calm thinking in the face of any crisis. I feel genuinely shocked that she of all people, did not put a stop to this nonsense immediately when it started. I expected nothing better than resentful bile from Macron given their vaccines failure, but Germany have always been the restrained and sensible country that could be trusted. They have always countered the French BS. Now we are seeing a determined purposeful campaign to discredit AZ, all the while championing Pjizer (despite the same unconnected clotting issues) It has been deeply chilling and disturbing to witness, and shows a callous disregard for the lives of their own people, if a cheap shot can be scored.

Perhaps Merkel is ill? Because this lack of judgement, spite and ill thought out rhetoric is not in keeping with her usual persona.

I agree it is strange.

Who will be the next German leader.
After so long on power maybe she just wants retirement.

Its clear France and Italy now seem themselves as bigger players and greater french/ Italian partnerships.
www.thesun.co.uk/news/14245665/macron-italy-blocking-astrazeneca-eu-jabs/

This article says eu getting another 10million pfizer in 2nd quarter of 2021 clearly not enough.
They need other vaccines AZ, modern and janson in large quantities.
I had no idea they were sat on so much az stock.

verietyinfo.com/italyeng/phone-call-from-astrazeneka-dragi-macron-ready-to-leave-immediately-with-vaccinations-when-emmas-green-light-appears/

It happens to the best of leaders they one day just run out of steam, and she has a very long political history at the top.

What a shame for her legacy after all she has done to have to leave under the cloud of covid failure, it does not seem fair to me, and maybe that is why she is angry and upset. Her legacy should have been one that was pretty much flawless given all she has achieved, and then this comes along in the final year and ruins it all.

The EU are not behaving like this because they are following a well organised plan, the knee jerk desperation is the result of their failure to provide protection for Europeans.

I hope Italy feel comfortable working as well with Le Pen as the French election is next year, and things could change drastically in that time.

If the franco/Italian rumours are correct, perhaps Germany will be the next to leave, after all it is no fun bankrolling Marcon's lofty and expensive integration ambitions. As we know to our cost!

[quote MissConductUS]@3asAbird This has gotten OT and I don't want to beat it to death, but I think the newspapers you read have a very superficial understanding of Joe Biden. He's a deeply religious man with no ill will towards anyone. He's been so successful politically because he puts aside differences to work with others. He's one of the few genuinely nice people in high-level American politics. It borders on paranoia to think that he's concealing some sort of vendetta against the UK.[/quote]
Yes, but I saw the clip after the election. The reporter from the BBC asked for a word with him, only to be told "I'm Irish", though he followed it up with a twinkle and'a smile.

Really couldn't imagine a British politician saying "I'm Spanish!."

Of curse, if Biden is Irish, he can't be president.

Hedda I don't teach my children that they have to give up their property just because another child demands it! People are allowed to own and use the things they've paid for!
If I was AZ I'd cease production in the EU if they started stealing my property. I think a strong message needs to be sent.
What is sad is that the UK probably would support sending supplies to the elderly in the EU if the EU had only asked and not attempted to screw the UK over at every opportunity. I feel sorry for the Oxford AZ team who've worked their arses off to give the work a cheap, easy to use vaccine and have been met with the EU response.

This comes down to Germany (and France) fucking up Europe. Again.

Let's not forget that it was Merkel who foisted VDL on the EU in the first place.

@Sakura7

So it's fine for the UK and USA to hold onto all vaccine supply produced in their territories, but the moment the EU do something similar in order to protect their own citizens, they're utterly lambasted.

The EU have made mistakes but this attitude from the UK is ridiculous. Stop believing the bile spewed in the British gutter press! Why is only the EU expected to put other countries' citizens ahead of their own?

Not the same scenario at all. The UK agreed conditions with AstraZeneca to prevent other countries (particularly Trump) trying to jump the queue by suddenly offering loads of money. The US invested considerably in the development of the Moderna vaccine and therefore agreed with Moderna that they'd be prioritised. Exclusivity deals are perfectly normal in business.

The EU on the other hand is threatening to seize shipments to other countries which were already agreed and paid for by the customer. That's basically piracy.

In a, I admit, very oversimplified version of things the EU is a bit like a protection racket that relies on people/nations/business' believing they're better off in it and paying into it than being outside of it and going it alone.

Obviously it is incredibly threatening to the EU if the UK shows any signs of being ok let alone doing well after leaving.

That makes sense. However to actually leave elderly citizens unvaccinated, especially in a nation like Italy who suffered terribly in the first wave, in order to play politics is unforgiveable.

In my opinion dicking around trying to haggle down the price per vaccine rather than throwing money at developers and anything they might need to achieve the previously assumed unachievable is also unforgivable.

If your key selling point is essentially being on the right side of a protection racket and that racket has publicly and devastatingly failed to protect it's members then? Where do they go from here?

My niece, by age 3, understood perfectly that she was far more likely to get the thing she wanted out of me if she used the magic word. Tantrums and foot-stamping? The thing disappeared.

What a shame UvdL never learned that.

A protectionist trade bloc is by its nature a bit of a protection racket.
"Those who are not with us are against us" aka it's wetter outside the tent.

That is a very good post thehoneybadger Sums it up perfectly. Most protection rackets do not appreciate exposure either. Covid has exposed many unsavoury things, and the EU's accountability and disregard for its own citizens among them.