AstraZeneca must "catch up" with its EU Covid-19 vaccine deliveries before it can export any more doses, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Ms von der Leyen was speaking after the first day of the European Council's online summit to explain the reasoning behind a plan that gives the bloc greater powers to stop vaccine exports.
It would essentially mean the EU could limit exports to countries that make vaccines but do not send them to the continent.
The blunt words against the UK-Swedish company threatened to deepen a row with Britain, which is looking to secure AstraZeneca shipments from the EU to fill a hole in its supplies, which is threatening its previously smooth vaccination programme.
"I think it is clear that first of all the company has to catch up, has to honour the contract it has with the European member states before it can engage again in exporting vaccines," Ms von der Leyen said.
The EU is engaged in a months-long dispute with AstraZeneca over a shortage of deliveries and disputes over efficacy and side effects.
AstraZeneca is on course to deliver only 30 million of a contracted 120 million doses of its vaccine to Europe by the end of this month.
With the continent in the grip of a third wave of infections, the EU and its 27 governments have come under pressure for their stuttering vaccine strategy.
The bloc is already lagging behind the US and the UK in its inoculations, and EU governments have announced extensions or tightening of lockdowns as the health crisis continues.
“We could have been much faster if all pharmaceutical companies had fulfilled their contracts,” Ms von der Leyen said.
“AstraZeneca has committed to a lower number of doses than was contracted.”
She was backed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who said it was "the end of naivety".
"I support export control mechanisms put in place by the European Commission," Mr Macron said.
"I support the fact that we must block all exports for as long as some drug companies don't respect their commitments with Europeans."
The export-ban plan was not universally well received before the talks, although leaders made no attempt to overturn it on Thursday.
“We’ve agreed with the commission that if companies don’t fulfil their contracts, export restrictions will of course be more likely than when companies do fulfil their contracts with the EU,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
Earlier, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz criticised the sharing of shots in the EU, saying that some countries were receiving more than their fair share.
As the leader of a coalition of six countries, Mr Kurz demanded a correction, raising tension.
“When member states have a lot less vaccines available to them than others, then I think this is a big issue for Europe,” he said.
”This could cause damage to the European Union like we haven’t seen in a long time.”
On a more positive note, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that London and Brussels could agree on a deal for vaccine sharing by the weekend "or soon after", to avoid the imposition of an EU embargo.
Brussels and London have both laid claim to vaccine stocks in an AstraZeneca factory in the Netherlands.
But Mr Rutte said that if Brussels decided to block any exports from the Halix plant to the UK, his government would enforce it.
The conclusions from the first day of the European Council stressed the need to accelerate and intensify "the production, delivery and deployment of vaccines" remains essential.
"We underline the importance of transparency as well as of the use of export authorisations," the council said.
"We recognise the importance of global value chains and reaffirm that companies must ensure predictability of their vaccine production and respect contractual delivery deadlines."
London has bristled at the European Commission this week toughening rules on vaccine exports to include assessments on how well countries such as Britain are doing in terms of vaccinations, compared to the EU.
A joint statement by the UK government and the commission on Wednesday said both sides were looking for ways to co-operate towards a "win-win" compromise, but no details were given.
Britain has mainly been using AstraZeneca for its vaccine distribution programme, with doses largely coming from the company's plants in the UK.
Most of the EU's vaccine exports to Britain were those developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
But Britain has announced a sudden AstraZeneca shortfall because millions of doses it had expected from India, which has the world's biggest vaccine-making plant, were delayed while New Delhi vaccinates its own population as cases surge.
While Britain has accused the EU of vaccine "nationalism" over its moves, Ms von der Leyen said the bloc was "the region that exports the most vaccines worldwide".
She said that since the start of December, companies in the EU had exported 77 million doses of Covid vaccines.
An EU official said that more than a quarter of those went to Britain.
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M3%2C%208-core%20CPU%2C%20up%20to%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.6-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201664%2C%20224ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%2FUSB-4%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%2C%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206E%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2052.6Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2018%20hours%2C%20MagSafe%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201080p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20Apple%20ProRes%2C%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-speaker%20system%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20support%20for%20Dolby%20Atmos%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20and%20dynamic%20head%20tracking%20(with%20AirPods)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Midnight%2C%20silver%2C%20space%20grey%2C%20starlight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Air%2C%2030W%2F35W%20dual-port%2F70w%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C-to-MagSafe%20cable%2C%202%20Apple%20stickers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh4%2C599%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
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