EU threaten to cut off vaccine supply to the UK 2

[Baileysforchristmas]

As the other thread is full

www.politico.eu/article/commission-proposes-six-week-vaccine-export-ban-amid-fears-of-trade-war/

The main thing which annoys me about all of this is the constant references to "EU vaccines" being exported (or "stolen"). They aren't EU vaccines - they are just vaccines produced by companies which happen to be based in the EU and which have various contractual obligations to supply them.

Another thing is that in all the demands for "reciprocity" and the references to the UK's supposed lack of it, no-one takes account of the fact that the UK has been supplying (exporting!) one of the key components of the Pfizer vaccine. Just because it isn't the finished product doesn't mean it doesn't count.

The EU is behaving abominably in all this. I really hope they come to their senses before they disrupt other countries' valid supply contracts.

I also agree with a pp that AstraZeneca should make a statement. It is time they helped to sort out this mess.

Blimey. I can’t get my head around that. It isn’t an acceptable way to behave.

I also agree with a pp that AstraZeneca should make a statement.

If I was AZ, I wouldn't say anything except through my lawyers.

I'm sure any statement would be lawyer approved. They aren't stupid!

Astrazeneca made multiple statements in January explaining why they were late and that they were writing to fulfil contracts according to their obligations. What can they say that would sort out anything? What would fix this now for them?

If I were them I'd have refused to have any more dealings with the EC and allowed countries to sign up separately on the same terms. But that's a private contractual matter that can then be a press release.

One thing for sure, I am now likely to think twice about setting up business in any of the EU states. The whole debacle has totally exposed the functionality of the EU and it kind of reminds me of how China used to takes over foreign investment during the 80s.

@MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously

Are you telling me the French wouldn't have been smug as fuck if Sanofi hadn't been a failure?

You do know the Sanofi was half British? It was Glaxo smith Kline/Sanofi until it didn't work, now it's "the French Sanofi..."

You do know the Sanofi was half British? It was Glaxo smith Kline/Sanofi until it didn't work, now it's "the French Sanofi..."

Tbf I don’t recall hearing about the British part even before it failed. Unlike Oz AZ which felt more U.K. based

@ChloeCrocodile
What is the hold up with approval for the Halix plant? The EU are desperate for vaccines, these ones have been approved by the UK (hence being sent here). Why don't the EMA get their act together and get approval sorted ASAP?

As far as I understood the hold up is not with the EMA but with AZ not putting in the right paperwork to actually request approval. That gives the impression that AZ is deliberately delaying getting approval in order to sell the vaccine produced in Halix to others, including the UK, instead (that seems to be where this idea of reciprocity comes from - if AZ can be exported from the EU to the UK, it should also be possible the other way round, as apparently there would be approval to use vaccine produced in the UK.)

Does anybody have any reliable figures how much AZ vaccine has actually been exported from the EU to the UK?

Yes, GSK Sanofi also had UK government funding. It actually may yet come through for global needs and boosters. It was adopted as the preferred French solution and the French politicians referred to it like that e.g. www.france24.com/en/france/20210126-humiliation-french-see-covid-19-vaccine-flops-as-sign-of-decline. FWIW, I think any attempt has been great and noble; we couldn't know which would work and it had a good chance of being successful ultimately. If the others hadn't then we might all be still pinning our hopes on Sanofi at the end of this year.

@Guinan

So (according to the original Italian article) the Italian authorities just discovered that Astrazeneca was hiding 29 million doses to export them to the UK, but never applied for an export permit or let the EU even know these doses existed.

If they were to go out of date (it is not very clear to me how old they actually are) surely the one at fault would be AZ and not the EU?

Late response to that due to a Covid related outing...

I'd be careful of using the word "fault" and the initials AZ in the same sentence Guinan...You can grumble about Boris, you can kick off about the EU, you can argue about contract law and live to post another day but there seems to be no coming back from even thinking AZ might be at fault for anything.

FWIW some European and at least one English source in the media haven't rushed to judgement and rightly asking where exactly in the custody/supply & logistics chain did these items go "missing"/unaccounted for.

For some time now it seems to been a given in this place that use "fault" and AZ in the same sentance

The Italian situation is unclear

So far I’ve heard they were for Belgium, U.K. and Covax

That they had been there for a while and that they were just being checked before delivery

‘Hiding’ is such a loaded term it looks like the same as the MEP who had a go at Az Ox for incomplete data, even though it’s been approved by the EMA. If I had read that rather than heard it in the interview I’d question the source. Since hearing it I’d say they are frustrated and casting for anything

Because I'm a bit geeky i looked up is it a real word within English language as only ever heard reciprocate before.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reciprocity_(social_psychology)

This page link made me chuckle somewhat..

Anyway why are AZ silent is the ceo asleep in Australia.
Pfizer have released a statement and I photographed off tv as tv news is now covering this story.
Euro news is covering the raid of hidden vaccines
Pfizer I feel sent strong message.

Why is az all to blame and not their European trading partners.
Surely output is down to French or Dutch factory and fact Italy bottle factory misplaced or were unaware if vaccines partly their fault.
Why were police involved did they need a warrant.
Clearly they beeb studying halix paperwork how?

Although that article clears it up a bit

When military police entered an Italian factory at the EU's request over the weekend, they not only discovered 29 million COVID vaccine doses — they triggered ripples of anxiety around the world as countries feared being deprived of vital shots.

It was a sign of how low trust between the European authorities and drugmaker AstraZeneca had fallen when Italian carabinieri, the country's military police, inspected a vaccine filling plant over the weekend. It was also a remarkable demonstration of the fever pitch the scramble for vaccine supplies has created — and just how far the situation has moved from talks of global cooperation.

The doses, an Italian official explained, were ready for shipment to Belgium.

The plant is owned by Catalent, a company that helps drugmakers with the jab's fill-and-finish, and AstraZeneca sent doses there to be made ready for distribution. A spokesman for Catalent said that “at any one time there will be a balance of vaccine drug substance ready for filling, packaging, inspection and quality release, and packaged vials awaiting shipment to AstraZeneca’s distribution facilities.”

I didn't know that Sanofi was part financed by the UK. If it comes good in the end, I'll be interested to see if the French take that view

Sanofi was on Kate Bingham's list of vaccines - 60m ordered last July which shows how sensible her 'wide net' approach was.

We have to pause and wonder why Italy are allowing themselves to become the commissions' bandits in all of this. It is beginning to reflect really badly the language coming out right now: 'raiding' factories, 'hidden' vaccines, seizing Australian vaccines at the port. What on earth are they doing?

And you can't find a more Eurosceptic country if you tried at the moment - after the last few years, and then the SOS of PPE and medical help was refused by Germany and France last spring - which was the final straw for many Italians where so called EU unity is concerned.

If you had any kind of business whatsoever you would be seriously reconsidering trusting Italy after this. They are on their absolute uppers in terms of the state of their economy, so why are they choosing to be part of this?

I can only imagine someone somewhere is getting paid an awful lot of euros to raid factories, because the optics of stealing vaccines is one that could linger and taint Italy for decades.

@Itsalonghaul

We have to pause and wonder why Italy are allowing themselves to become the commissions' bandits in all of this. It is beginning to reflect really badly the language coming out right now: 'raiding' factories, 'hidden' vaccines, seizing Australian vaccines at the port. What on earth are they doing?

And you can't find a more Eurosceptic country if you tried at the moment - after the last few years, and then the SOS of PPE and medical help was refused by Germany and France last spring - which was the final straw for many Italians where so called EU unity is concerned.

If you had any kind of business whatsoever you would be seriously reconsidering trusting Italy after this. They are on their absolute uppers in terms of the state of their economy, so why are they choosing to be part of this?

I can only imagine someone somewhere is getting paid an awful lot of euros to raid factories, because the optics of stealing vaccines is one that could linger and taint Italy for decades.

Doesn't Italy have a self appointment technocrat leader which I'm sure they did the same in the past after Berlusconi the eu implemented thier man. Their new leader is ex European central bank so I would imagine has a good grasp of economy supply and demand. I think they credited him against steering the euro zone though the last financial crisis. I felt so sorry for Italy a year ago eu were no help whatsoever. Read varying articles from European press that hes very close to macron thier views on lots of things are aligned as France and Italy have had some troubled relations in the past. Also Italy seems sympathetic to Russia and wishes to lift restriction and Russia set up manufacturing their vaccines there.. Apparently Russia now has 3 vaccines as putin was vaccinated with one of them.

But yes 2 bad things now with Italy at centre.
I don't think many of them are thinking about the long term repercussions of their actions.

The Vaccine in Italy was not bound for the UK. It was part of a shipment to Canada and Mexico. Total f**k up by the EU again. If the Vaccines go past their use by date I hope someone is prosecuted.

Hot off the press:
The UK and European Commission are working together "to create a win-win situation and expand vaccine supply for all our citizens", according to a joint statement issued this evening

The statement:

We are all facing the same pandemic and the third wave makes cooperation between the EU and UK even more important.

"We have been discussing what more we can do to ensure a reciprocally beneficial relationship between the UK and EU on Covid-19.

"Given our interdependencies, we are working on specific steps we can take - in the short-, medium- and long term - to create a win-win situation and expand vaccine supply for all our citizens.

"In the end, openness and global cooperation of all countries will be key to finally overcome this pandemic and ensure better preparation for meeting future challenges.

"We will continue our discussions."

Politico.eu reports that Az are saying:

"Of the stash at the Catalent plant, 13 million doses are intended for the COVAX vaccine pool for developing countries. The rest are destined for Europe, awaiting quality control sign-off, the company said."

(www.politico.eu/article/eu-sends-italian-police-to-find-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccines/)

I wonder how pfizers exports to Israel will stand? Are they getting supplies from EU

Yes that is totally right 3 Mario Draghi the new PM of Italy, is the EU man that has been 'installed' - not voted for I might add, to run Italy. Italy is now basically run by a group of technocrats.

How is that we have a 'democracy' being run by a bunch of EU technocrats without as much as a murmur....

The whole election and situation that followed is suspect to say the very least, and it is no wonder now Italy is in charge of stealing vaccines. The whole thing stinks, and I have no idea why the Italians are putting up with this!

Yes the UK government have again come in and offered an olive branch to the EU to get their rollout going

Another article on Italy

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/24/astrazeneca-dismisses-claim-29m-vaccine-doses-in-italy-were-bound-for-uk