Vaccine: MEP grilled on EU’s ‘protectionism’ of securing doses

Dr Veronique Trillet-Lenoir is a member of the European Parliament’s environment, public health and food safety committee. The French politician defended the European Union’s export ban threats by putting the blame on pharmaceutical companies for not fulfilling their coronavirus contracts. Despite Dr Trillet-Lenoir’s attempts to defend the actions of the European Commission, she was challenged on the bloc “failing” millions of EU citizens during a global health crisis.

Channel 4’s reporter Fatima Manji: “Can I just put it to you though that it’s the Commission that’s failed European citizens here by not finalising the contract with AstraZeneca?”

The MEP replied: “The deal has been completed, three million doses are secured for European citizens on the basis of a contract between the Commission and AstraZeneca, there is nothing to blame for.” 

Ms Manji followed up and said: “Can I put it to you that the EU has been accused of vaccine protectionism in a pandemic, that’s something to be ashamed of isn’t it?”

The French politician said in response: “Well, it’s a shame in every country, the problem is that we are facing a worldwide pandemic where we should really play a collective game.

JUST IN: ‘EU CAN’T block our vaccine supplies’ Britain fires warning as Brussels Covid row explodes

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

“Instead of what we are facing some kind of vaccine nationalism and a fight for the vaccine.

“I do hope that as many people in the world, including the UK, will be vaccinated because if only a few are protected then nobody is. 

“So we have to fight against pharmaceutical firms playing with that.”

Earlier in the show, Ms Manji asked Ms Trillet-Lenoir if she believes AstraZeneca is prioritising the UK because the country is willing to pay a higher price. 

Boris Johnson: EU expected to honour vaccine exports to UK

She said: “I’d like to think its the opposite, the problem is that the commission has been asking many questions to the firm and none of the answers were really liable. 

“There is no understandable supply chain rupture or production problems so we have to make the hypothesis that maybe the pharmaceutical firm is prioritising where the price is higher.

“And this is totally unfair.”

Stella Kyriakides, the European Commissioner for Health and Food, explained the EU’s position adding they had not seen returns on their vaccine investments.

DON’T MISS

Jeremy Vine says EU gave UK ‘best argument’ for Brexit with vaccine roll-out failure (COMMENT)
Vaccinated people are STILL a danger – Hancock issues warning over Covid jab (EXPLAINER)
Covid cases PLUNGE and deaths down as UK confirms 6.6million receive first vaccine dose (ANALYSIS)

Ms Kyriakides said: “This new schedule is not acceptable to the European Union.

“The European Union has pre-financed the development of the vaccine and the production and wants to see the return.

“The European Union wants to know exactly which doses have been produced by AstraZeneca and where exactly so far and if or to whom they have been delivered.

“The answers of the company have not been satisfactory so far, the European Union wants the ordered and pre-financed doses to be delivered as soon as possible and we want our contract to be fully fulfilled.”

AstraZeneca’s CEO, Pascal Soriot, says the reason for their UK priority is because they paid for more and paid for it earlier than the EU.  

Source: Read Full Article