London warns Italy export ban on Covid-19 vaccine to Australia 'endangers global efforts to fight virus'
London has warned Brussels that export bans on Covid-19 doses to non-EU countries threaten the global jab rollout, after Italy stopped a shipment of AstraZeneca vaccine reaching Australia.
"We are all dependent on global supply chains, putting in place restrictions endangers global efforts to fight the virus," Reuters quotes UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesperson as saying, explaining that the UK expects the EU to honour its commitments.
It emerged on Thursday that Italy had prevented 250,700 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine reaching Australia, in the first such move by an EU member state since new vaccine export rules took effect in January.
Johnson recently spoke to the President of the EU's executive, Ursula Von der Leyen, who told him that new EU rules were for "transparency," not to restrict vaccine exports, the spokesperson said.
Italy made its move under new measures the EU announced in January, which require member states to authorize vaccine deliveries before they are shipped outside the bloc, in an effort to safeguard Europe's own supply of jabs.
The legislation was brought in after a huge row was sparked between Brussels and London in January due to AstraZeneca's announcement it would cut by more than half the number of jabs delivered to the EU due to production issues.
The EU has reportedly stood by Italy's decision to halt the vaccine, which was taken at the end of last week, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
The Italian Foreign Ministry has defended the move on the basis that there is already a limited supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the EU and that Australia has fared better than some European nations in terms of Covid-19 infections.
On Friday Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison also said that he understood Italy's decision due to the "unbridled crisis situation" faced by the EU, which he said is not the case in Australia.
It emerged on Thursday that Italy had prevented 250,700 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine reaching Australia, in the first such move by an EU member state since new vaccine export rules took effect in January.
Johnson recently spoke to the President of the EU's executive, Ursula Von der Leyen, who told him that new EU rules were for "transparency," not to restrict vaccine exports, the spokesperson said.
Italy made its move under new measures the EU announced in January, which require member states to authorize vaccine deliveries before they are shipped outside the bloc, in an effort to safeguard Europe's own supply of jabs.
The legislation was brought in after a huge row was sparked between Brussels and London in January due to AstraZeneca's announcement it would cut by more than half the number of jabs delivered to the EU due to production issues.
The EU has reportedly stood by Italy's decision to halt the vaccine, which was taken at the end of last week, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
The Italian Foreign Ministry has defended the move on the basis that there is already a limited supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the EU and that Australia has fared better than some European nations in terms of Covid-19 infections.
On Friday Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison also said that he understood Italy's decision due to the "unbridled crisis situation" faced by the EU, which he said is not the case in Australia.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
