Ursula von der Leyen criticizes the vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca and defends the EU's export ban.
At the same time, the EU Commission President admits mistakes.
Brussels - The EU Commission has been criticized for the slow start of coronavirus vaccinations in Europe.
The EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen now rejects the criticism and harshly criticizes the British-Swedish manufacturer AstraZeneca.
“AstraZeneca delivered less than ten percent of the amount ordered to the EU in the period from December to March,” von der Leyen told
Wirtschaftswoche
on Monday
.
"We are no longer willing to be used as a scapegoat," she emphasizes.
Ursula von der Leyen expects further export stops for AstraZeneca
Von der Leyen also justifies the export blockades for the corona vaccine AstraZeneca.
In Italy, AstraZeneca exports to Australia were stopped for the first time last week.
The British-Swedish manufacturer is behind its delivery schedule, which is why the EU Commission introduced an export mechanism at the beginning of the year.
Since then, companies that sell corona vaccines have had to register their exports to third countries and have them approved.
"That was not an isolated case.", Ursula von der Leyen told
Wirtschaftswoche
.
She expects further export stops for the manufacturer AstraZeneca.
The other corona vaccine manufacturers, such as Biontech / Pfizer, are not expected to be affected by the export mechanism as they try to meet their quarterly targets. "If companies keep their contracts, the doors are open to export," said von der Leyen.
She is not afraid of clashes with other countries due to the export mechanism.
In her opinion, this is not about countries, but about companies.
Corona vaccine: why is AstraZeneca so far behind with deliveries?
Von der Leyen's officials try to answer this question.
“The company did not pre-produce enough vaccine before approval, as agreed in the contract,” she accuses AstraZeneca.
In Brussels, many suspect that the EU-made vaccine was supplied to the UK by AstraZeneca.
However, EU Commission President von der Leyen also admits that she made a mistake.
Too little attention was paid to the fact that the production facilities for the corona vaccine were expanded.
The production process was underestimated in Brussels.
Countries like the USA or Great Britain have had the issue of production much more in focus and thus ramped up the production of vaccines better.
The US wants all adults to be vaccinated by the end of May, but Europe is still a long way from that.
In addition to delivery problems, the AstraZeneca vaccine also has an image problem.
The list of side effects in particular had made headlines again and again.
(Dana Popp)