the european union has always had a
clear view of itself
moral fair competent calm informed and
finding strength in numbers
but during the vaccine roll out that's
coming under pressure
it really goes against their core
self-image as a
champion of multilateralism and
proselytizer
of free trade first there's the idea
that together is better
the framework we are all working in is a
framework of 27.
together we are negotiating together we
are procuring
and together we're bringing forward this
vaccination process
they have acted together but was it
better the eu signed vaccine deals
months after the uk
and in the eu less than three percent of
people have received at least one jab
in the uk it's 14 percent that's linked
to a huge row with astrazeneca
over a delay in vaccine supply and many
blame the european commission
including the leader of bavaria in
germany who says bluntly
the order was placed too late and then
only a few companies were chosen
operational responsibility clearly lies
with brussels
the eu's joined up approach has
struggled to deliver
next there's the eu's much publicized
opposition to vaccine nationalism
when it comes to fighting a global
pandemic there is no place for
me first but those ideals bit the dust
the moment the eu threatened to block
exports of vaccines made in the eu
today the commission has adopted an
implementing regulation
making the export of certain products
subject to an export
authorization this regulation concerns
transparency and export of code 19
vaccines
and these weren't just any type of
export blocks remember how the eu spent
the entire brexit process insisting that
in no circumstances could there be
any border checks between the republic
of ireland an eu member
and northern ireland in the uk this kind
of thing
throughout these negotiations the eu and
the uk
were fully committed to protect peace
to protect stability on the island of
ireland
that sentiment appeared to have been
mislaid on friday as the eu unveiled a
plan to ignore part of the brexit deal
by blocking the movement of vaccines
moving from the eu
into the uk across the irish border the
eu should have been able to predict the
reaction of the irish government
given that it was exactly how the eu's
been reacting on this issue for
years it took four years to put the
protocol together
people were blindsided by the
decision that was taken and its
implications for the protocol
palisco noted that the european
commission had for a moment achieved the
seemingly impossible task
of uniting britain's brexiteers and
remainers
northern ireland's democratic unionists
and sinn fein as well as dublin
and london against them within hours the
eu
had withdrawn the threat also on friday
as the eu appeared to be doing
everything possible to protect its
interests above other considerations
it was insisting we are not protecting
ourselves
against any specific country and we're
not in competition or in a race against
any country
the only race we're in is against this
virus but it looked like there was a
race going on with anyone else who
wanted access to vaccines produced in
europe
and there was a race between senior eu
figures over who could generate the most
negative pr
one contender was emanuel macron who
attacked the uk for declining to share
some of its vaccines
what politics does great britain wish to
choose he said it cannot be the best
ally of the u.s the best ally of the eu
and the new singapore it has to choose a
model
well for his part mr macron's model was
to enter territory
normally left for the scientists hours
after the eu had approved the
astrazeneca vaccine for use
the french president told us everything
points to thinking
it's quasi-ineffective on people older
than 65. too much scratching of heads
as professor john bell a leading
geneticist who helped develop the
vaccine put it
yes i'm not sure where he got that from
and if emmanuel macron was busy
criticizing the uk for not sharing a
vaccine
that he was criticizing senior
commission figure martin selmair
also commented tweeting proudly and
we've translated
the eu has seen 12 million people
vaccinated in three weeks and then
having looked around for a comparison he
liked he told us and in africa only 20
000 people have been vaccinated so far
when that sentiment was questioned mr
selmair tweeted back
some humility and more solidarity would
be appropriate
but humility has been in short supply
indignant might be a better word for the
eu in recent
days ursula fonda lion has wanted to
emphasize the good the eu's done
europe invested billions to help develop
the world's first covet 19 vaccines
to create a truly global common good
and now the companies must deliver but
if that happened why didn't the eu tie
those investments to guarantees of
vaccines
the eu also thinks astrazeneca
guaranteed to deliver
millions of vaccines by the end of march
but astrazeneca
doesn't think that it did now either
those guarantees aren't in the contract
or the eu's agreed a deal that
astrazeneca misunderstood
neither explanation reflects well on the
eu
peter t from the german tabloid built
has written in the times newspaper that
the eu
did not do what it's supposed to do take
care of our europe and our 27
governments either did not intervene
or intervene too late the fact that we
in germany can only vaccinate at a
snail's pace is our humiliation he
writes
especially when we look at the island
that once belonged
to our eu all of which raises many
questions
the european union takes pride
incompetence but faced with the greatest
crisis for decades
it hasn't got the vaccines it needs to
save as many lives as possible
worse some of the reasons why are of its
doing
and the sense of people losing their
call is palpable
you