EU rejects claims of vaccine nationalism

BRUSSELS－European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday rejected charges of vaccine nationalism leveled against the EU, claiming that while Britain and the United States have outright bans on exports of COVID-19 shots, the EU had not followed suit.

The EU has found itself under fire at home for a vaccine rollout that is much slower than those of former member Britain or the US, and abroad for so far doing less than some countries to supply vaccines to poor nations.

Last week it annoyed vaccine buyers overseas by endorsing an Italian decision to halt a shipment to Australia.

Britain had a quick retort for the comments by Michel, who represents the 27 European Union member states, saying it has not blocked the export of a single vaccine.

"Any references to a UK export ban or any restrictions on vaccines are completely false," a UK government spokesman said.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has written to Michel to "set the record straight "and a representative of the EU's delegation to the UK has been summoned to a meeting at the Foreign Office, officials confirmed.

"Glad if the UK reaction leads to more transparency & increased exports, to EU and third countries," Michel said in a tweet on Tuesday evening.

The dispute arose after Michel published a lengthy statement on Tuesday afternoon defending the bloc's strategy. He said that without Europe, it would not have been possible to develop and produce several vaccines in less than a year.

System defended

Michel also defended a system to control the export of doses produced in EU countries, invoked by Italy last week to block a shipment of AstraZeneca shots to Australia.

"Our objective: to prevent companies from which we have ordered and pre-financed doses from exporting them to other advanced countries when they have not delivered to us what was promised."

Agencies via Xinhua