British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying to prevent the EU from restricting the export of corona vaccines to his country.
He will also be calling EU leaders over the next few days and is expected to try to persuade his colleagues to veto such a proposal, reports the BBC.
The EU is holding a summit later this week that may include an export ban on AstraZeneca’s vaccine. Brussels is annoyed that the pharmaceutical company can deliver fewer vaccines than previously agreed. According to insiders, discussions have arisen about the Halix factory in Leiden, which is not yet on the list of approved suppliers for the European market.
Due to the lack of permission, the vaccines from the Leiden factory cannot yet be used in the EU. According to an internal document inspected by Reuters news agency, AstraZeneca expects that the EU will give the green light on March 25 for the use of resources produced in Leiden. It is unclear how many vaccines are currently stored in the factory.
According to Financial Times newspaper sources, Johnson has already called several government leaders to avoid an export ban. According to sources, the leaders of France and Germany can also probably expect a phone call in the run-up to the EU summit, which starts on Thursday.