reply The EU launched an emergency "vaccine defense" to implement export control

A vaccine spat between the European Union and British drug maker AstraZeneca has forced the EU to launch a vaccine defence. [The Guardian website]The European Union (EU) announced Thursday that all vaccines produced in the EU from January 30 to the end of March will need to be approved for export after a vaccine dispute with British drug maker AstraZeneca, foreign media said. Officials stressed that protecting citizens had no choice but to take action.According to Taiwan's "Central News Agency" Brussels on January 29, the Vice-President of the European Commission Dombrovskis and the European Commissioner in charge of health affairs Kiliakides jointly held a press conference on January 29, announcing the launch of the export authorization mechanism for Novel Coronavirus vaccine, which will be implemented from January 30 to March 31.Dombrovskis said the safety of EU citizens was a top priority and the current challenge of undeliverable vaccines left the EU with no choice but to act. Mr Kyriakides said the EU had given money to vaccine makers over the past year to ensure that they kept their promises when the vaccines were authorised.According to a supplementary note issued by the EU, vaccines produced in the EU will have to be notified and approved in advance before they can be exported. The EU stressed that the mechanism was not intended to restrict vaccine exports, but rather to obtain complete information through the mechanism to ensure manufacturers met their delivery commitments.Most European countries, including Switzerland, Norway and Iceland, are exempt, as are vaccines for humanitarian reasons and participation in the COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Programme (CoVax).The EU's emergency move to control vaccine exports was triggered by a bitter row in recent weeks with AstraZeneca over a cut in vaccine supplies. AstraZeneca told the EU on January 22 it would cut supplies by up to 60 percent in the first quarter of this year and said it would give priority to Britain. The European Union, which has already paid upfront for the vaccine but has no access to it, announced on Wednesday that it would need to be authorized to export the vaccine after the EU first announced its contract with AstraZeneca in the morning and then approved the vaccine in the afternoon.In a sharp escalation of the EU vaccine fight, Brussels said it would trigger a clause in the Northern Ireland Protocol that would block vaccines from crossing the open border between EU member Ireland and British-administered Northern Ireland. After an outcry from London, Belfast and Dublin, the European Union issued a statement just before midnight saying it would ensure the Northern Ireland Protocol, which aims to keep the border open, was not affected.Before this, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the European Commission President Michel von der Leyen that he was "seriously concerned" and the Irish Prime Minister Michel Martin spoke to Johnson and the head of the EU to find a solution. Northern Ireland described the move as a hostile act.Meanwhile, delays in the delivery of the Novel Coronavirus vaccine and the dispute between the European Union and AstraZeneca are causing frustration among European health authorities and leaving them feeling powerless to contain the spread of the virus, according to EFE Madrid. The pace of vaccination in EU countries is no longer as fast as expected because of delays in vaccine delivery. Coupled with the AstraZeneca dispute, vaccination efforts will suffer further.France has vaccinated more than 1.3 million people with the COVID-19 vaccine and plans to receive another 2.4 million doses in February. But the French authorities acknowledged that the number of vaccinations in February would be lower than expected because of insufficient deliveries.The Netherlands is currently a laggard in EU vaccination efforts, with only 1% of its population receiving the first dose.More than 1.7 million people in Germany, about 2.1 percent of the population, have received their first dose of the vaccine.The goal announced by German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to offer all citizens the chance to be vaccinated by the end of the summer. Ms Merkel will meet regional officials and pharmaceutical companies on Monday to seek to speed up vaccinations affected by delivery delays.Spain has received about 1.7 million doses of vaccine, of which about 1.3 million have been administered. The rate of vaccination in Spain has dropped from about 60,000 doses a day to 39,000. Several parts of the country are concerned that delayed delivery of vaccines will not be able to meet expected vaccination targets.