EU VACCINE PEACE DEAL
After weeks of tension over jabs blockade threat.. agreement is in sight
BRITAIN and Europe have called a truce in the war over vaccine supplies that was threatening the UK’s rollout.
Brussels had proposed blocking jabs exports, which Boris Johnson warned would be “very damaging”.
But both sides said they are now taking steps to create a “win-win situation for all citizens”.
AS a third coronavirus wave surges through Europe, the British government and the European Commission pulled back from the brink of a vaccine war.
The two sides have agreed a “win-win” truce in their row over supplies that threatened to derail the successful rollout here and damage the already strained relationship between them.
In a joint statement, they stressed that “global co-operation” was key to beating the pandemic. Brussels chiefs have proposed tough new vaccines export rules, prompting fears they may ban supplies to the UK. But Boris Johnson warned that a vaccine trade war could result in “considerable” long-term damage.
It comes as India reportedly put a temporary hold on all major exports of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, following a spike in infections there.
The UK rollout has already been delayed by a shortage in doses from India and an EU blockade could push it back months.
The UK and EC said: “We are all facing the same pandemic and the third wave makes co-operation 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. We are working on specific steps we can take... to create a win-win situation and expand vaccine supply for all our citizens. “Openness and global co-operation of all countries will be key to finally overcome this pandemic.” The statement looked set to defuse the row over supplies of the AstraZeneca jab for now. But admitting Europe is a Covid “hotspot”, the EC warned it may not approve supplies to countries with better vaccination rates. Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides denied Brussels was trying to “punish” the UK. Mr Johnson has rejected the idea the UK could end up in a tit-for-tat vaccine