Thread by @BenChu_

Is the European Union guilty of dabbling in vaccine nationalism?
💉🇪🇺

The EU Commission's dispute with AstraZeneca over vaccine deliveries shortfalls is clearly big and serious.

But what should a fair-minded person make of the row?...

The essential situation is this.

AZ claims it’s had some vaccine production problems at its EU plant & while it accepts the EU has a right to be aggrieved at the shortfall, it say the EU's reaction - threats of legal action and blocking its exports - is way over the top...

The EU Commission says it has not had enough credible information from AZ to explain the shortfall and, moreover, seems to distrust the company...

So which side is in the right?

Well, AZ has certainly been more forthcoming about its side of the story – see the Pascal Soriot interview with La Repubblica on Tuesday, which is pretty detailed... repubblica.it/cronaca/2021/0…

By contrast, the EU has not been specific about its complaints about AZ’s (lack of) provision of information, either on or off-the-record.

You can watch the EU Commission's press team repeatedly stonewall this question at Tuesday's press conference:

audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-201…

The EU apparently threatening to prohibit vaccine exports is an aggressive move, and does indeed, on the face of it, smack of vaccine nationalism, not least because it would affect all vaccine makers with production facilities in the EU, not just AZ...

The EU says it merely wants to avoid getting treated unfairly by drugmakers that it has funded with EU public money – but without specifying WHY it suspects unfair treatment from AZ it does seem a counterproductive overreaction...

And, moreover, a very bad signal to send for a bloc which claims to be an opponent of vaccine nationalism...

Though perhaps more information may emerge about the situation after the Commission meets again with AZ on Wednesday.

More for @indypremium here 👇

independent.co.uk/independentpre…