EU moves to reduce Covid-19 vaccine exports to countries with better vaccination rates

The AstraZeneca Covid vaccine. Picture: AP Photo/Matthias Schrader

The European Commission has moved to reduce the export of Covid-19 vaccines to countries, such as the UK, which have better vaccination rates than the EU.

The commission said its objective of timely access to vaccines for EU citizens is still not being met.

Therefore it has introduced new criteria for the authorisation of Covid-19 vaccine distribution which will tighten exports to the likes of the UK.

The Commission has introduced the principles of 'reciprocity' and 'proportionality' when it comes to vaccine exports.

The EC explained those as:

• Reciprocity – does the destination country restrict its own exports of vaccines or their raw materials, either by law or other means?
• Proportionality – are the conditions prevailing in the destination country better or worse than the EU's, in particular its epidemiological situation, its vaccination rate and its access to vaccines.

“Member States and the Commission should assess whether the requested exports do not pose a threat to the security of supply of vaccines and their components in the Union,” the statement added.

European Commission President Ursula von her Leyen, said: “The EU is proud to be the home of vaccine producers who not only deliver to EU citizens but export across the globe.

“While our Member States are facing the third wave of the pandemic and not every company is delivering on its contract, the EU is the only major OECD producer that continues to export vaccines at large scale to dozens of countries.

But open roads should run in both directions. This is why the European Commission will introduce the principles of reciprocity and proportionality into the EU's existing authorisation mechanism.

She said the EU has an "excellent portfolio" of different vaccines and has secured more than enough doses for the entire population. 

"But we have to ensure timely and sufficient vaccine deliveries to EU citizens," she said.  "Every day counts.” 

The statement added that the European Union remains committed “to international solidarity and will therefore continue to exclude from this scheme vaccine supplies for humanitarian aid or destined to the 92 low and middle income countries under the COVAX Advance Market Commitment list”.

EC executive vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis denied the export authorisation mechanism was targeted at any one country but said 10 million jabs had moved from the EU to the UK since it introduced checks and that “zero doses” had returned from British plants.

He argued that the controls are necessary because while the EU is one of the “global hotspots of the pandemic” it is also the “largest exporter of vaccines”.