Interesting...
EU foreign policy chief Borrell tweeted support for waiving some intellectual property rules to scale up vaccine production globally.
Then someone at EU message control must've told him that EU policy is to block that waiver & wider production, so he deleted it
So, there are smart EU decision makers who understand the problem of vaccine scarcity & the need to ramp up production worldwide through the #TRIPSwaiver.
Sadly, other EU decision makers - those who want to boost pharma profits & have a longer pandemic - are on top right now.
Here's the link that EU foreign policy chief Borrell tweeted & then deleted: it's a call for a #PeoplesVaccine from scores of former presidents & prime ministers, and Nobel laureates.
This is the link that EU message control doesn't want you to see.
project-syndicate.org/commentary/pre…
Also tellingly, EU Commission President von der Leyen last month said she was “not ruling out” going so far as to waive intellectual property rights around Covid vaccines.
We've heard nothing further since. Guess she was told to shut up, too.
politico.eu/newsletter/bru…
The EU - along with the UK, the US, and others - have for months been blocking wider vaccine production globally by preventing the #TRIPSwaiver at the World Trade Organisation.
They are trying to fight a global pandemic while deliberately limiting vaccine supplies.
Madness.
It's not just past presidents & prime ministers, and not just Nobel laureates who back a vaccine. It's also NGOs like:
Oxfam: oxfam.org.uk/media/press-re…
MSF: msfaccess.org
HRW: hrw.org/news/2021/03/0…
And many more: peoplesvaccine.org
Some 100 governments around the world also back the move for a #TRIPSwaiver at the WTO.
msf.org/countries-obst…
Hundreds of European lawmakers are also on board, backing the #TRIPSwaiver at the WTO...
hrw.org/news/2021/03/2…
So, I'm glad to see that EU foreign policy chief Borrell instinctively agrees with all of us that the EU should stop blocking wider vaccine production globally - even if he was then told to shut up about it.
Morality, science, logic and history are all on our side:
naturemicrobiologycommunity.nature.com/posts/10-reaso…
A longer pandemic & more deaths are on theirs:
theguardian.com/world/2021/mar…
Everyone agrees that we can't fight a global pandemic without wider vaccine production globally.
Everyone except the governments currently blocking it, that is...
Yes, good question. Could someone at @EU_Commission explain why @JosepBorrellF first tweeted the right and moral thing - and then deleted it?
He should have stood by his tweet, indeed!
📢 Calling all EU citizens: sign this official "European Citizens Initiative", asking the EU to stop blocking wider vaccine production globally.
📢 Calling everyone: Share it!
👍 It's just about to pass 150,000 signatures: noprofitonpandemic.eu
🎉 🎉 🎉 🎉 🎉
Now over 150,000!
🎉 🎉 🎉 🎉 🎉
Keep sharing!
noprofitonpandemic.eu
Should we all thank Mr Borrell for helping the campaign reach this milestone today? 🤔
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