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Andrew Stroehlein Profile picture
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9 May, 7 tweets, 5 min read
Happy #EuropeDay, celebrating the historic, radical experiment to promote peace through economic and political integration based on democracy and human rights.
hrw.org/news/2017/03/1…

It’s a shame that current EU leaders are undermining our founding principles these days...
The EU & its member states did nothing as a dictatorship emerged in Hungary.

In fact, the largest political group in Europe, the European People's Party, actively supported it for years.

The EU is now no longer a bloc of exclusively democratic states
hrw.org/news/2020/04/2…
EU member Poland is not far behind Hungary, either, sinking ever further into authoritarianism along the Hungarian model...

hrw.org/news/2021/04/1…
And because the EU failed to address authoritarian rule in its own member states, EU foreign policy can't fight effectively for democracy globally.

When it comes to refugees, the EU & member states' appalling record of human rights abuses is now infamous.

It's a vicious, daily insult to the EU's founding principles...

theguardian.com/global-develop…

independent.co.uk/news/world/eur…

irishtimes.com/opinion/denmar…
And the EU's pharma-profits-first approach to the global pandemic, blocking wider production of vaccines globally by obstructing the #TRIPSwaiver at the WTO, is prolonging the pandemic - an inhumane policy that's an affront to the EU's founding principles
hrw.org/news/2021/03/2…
From the ashes of world war, united Europe was a promise of something new: peace & security through democracy & human rights.

🇪🇺 Happy #EuropeDay2021 to everyone who shares these, our most treasured values.

Sadly, many of our current European leaders do not.

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More from @astroehlein

Andrew Stroehlein Profile picture
10 May
Amid the ongoing global scarcity of vaccines, the European Commission only meets with big pharma & its allies.

No one who questions pharma's monopoly on patents is allowed in.

This Commission is dedicated to boosting pharma profits, not saving lives.

corporateeurope.org/en/2021/05/com…
Look, I mean, I get it. It's fun to meet with rich and powerful CEOs. It makes you feel more powerful and important yourself.

But, @EU_commission, is your job simply to make the rich richer? To help the powerful become even more powerful while billions of the powerless suffer?
The @EU_commission unquestioningly accepts and parrots every debunked argument that the pharma companies feed them.

It's embarrassing.

And deadly.
Read 13 tweets
Andrew Stroehlein Profile picture
8 May
Yet again, EU leaders show they think we’re all stupid…

Literally no one pushing for the #TRIPSwaiver thinks it’s a “magic bullet”. This is a complete insult to the intelligence of medical experts, health campaigners & the 100+ governments behind it.

usatoday.com/videos/news/na… Image
Bringing new vaccine production online will take time - which is exactly why we have all been pushing for the #TRIPSwaiver since October…

…while the EU has used those 7 months to block wider production.
Just think: we could be 7 months ahead of where we are now, if only rich governments listened to the experts sooner.

And now, the EU tries to lecture us about how the #TRIPSwaiver is not an instant solution... 🙄
Read 5 tweets
Andrew Stroehlein Profile picture
8 May
Does France's Minister for European Affairs @CBeaune not understand math?

Or is he insulting us by thinking we don't?

"200 million doses"; "40 million doses"; "100,000 doses"

Nice, but we need over 11 billion doses.

Profits-first isn't working.

Math, friends. Basic math Image
Let's put this another way...

Vaccine doses given globally so far (💉=500 million):

💉💉

Amount needed globally (assuming 70% fully vaccinated for herd immunity):

💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉
💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉
💉💉

Number given so far in low-income countries:

.
And I’m being conservative about the world needing 11 billion doses.

Some close to industry have said 14 billion: businessinsider.com/bill-gates-14-…

Some say 20 billion: investigate-europe.eu/en/2020/vaccin…

So, sending 100,000 doses to Africa is good, but it's not what's going to end the pandemic. Image
Read 8 tweets
Andrew Stroehlein Profile picture
7 May
Well, 24 hours is all it takes for Macron to change his mind back to the profits-first approach to the pandemic.

Looks like Merkel reined him in: he's now parroting the same nonsense arguments Berlin & Brussels are using.

theguardian.com/world/2021/may…
For the 3.2 millionth time: The problem is global vaccine scarcity.

Talking about exporting or not exporting is simply arguing about who gets scarce supplies.

It will not increase overall global production of vaccines.
There is vaccine scarcity because the companies aim to maximise profits, not production, and the EU, UK & a few other governments protect those companies' profits by blocking wider production globally though their obstruction of the #TRIPSwaiver at the World Trade Organization.
Read 7 tweets
Andrew Stroehlein Profile picture
7 May
The EU, UK & a few other governments are determined to continue blocking wider vaccine production globally by obstructing the #TRIPSwaiver at the World Trade Organization.

This means global vaccine shortages will continue.

They will prolong the pandemic.
This week saw a dramatic change in US policy, when Biden shifted away from Trump’s profits-first approach to the pandemic.

Australia & New Zealand followed suit.

But the EU - led by Germany - is digging in its heels to back profits over human lives.
bbc.com/news/world-eur…
Yes, Trump is gone, but Merkel wants to continue his inhumane legacy.
Read 36 tweets
Andrew Stroehlein Profile picture
6 May
For the 3.2 millionth time: The problem is global vaccine scarcity. Exporting, not exporting - that's just arguing about who gets scarce supplies. It will not increase global production of vaccines.

The #TRIPSwaiver will.

Please, EU, stop blocking it.
Honestly, the EU looks so out of touch now. The argument about sharing scarce vaccines is desperate - everyone knows the EU is blocking wider production of vaccines globally & thus helping to create that scarcity.
But I also don't doubt Matina here that the Commission might keep fighting against the #TRIPSwaiver and keep putting pharma profits first.

Read 5 tweets

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