EU chief warns of action to protect pledged vaccine supplies

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s chief executive warned Wednesday that the EU would not hesitate to take action, including possible export restrictions, to ensure it receives the supplies of coronavirus vaccines the 27-nation bloc was promised.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU has approved the export of some 41 million vaccine doses to 33 countries in the last six weeks and believes that it stands at the forefront of international vaccine-sharing efforts.

“We are exporting to countries that are themselves producing vaccines, and we think this is an invitation to be open, so that we also see exports from those countries coming back to the European Union,” von der Leyen said.

“Open roads run in both directions,” she said. “We want to see reciprocity and proportionality in exports, and we are ready to use whatever tool we need to deliver on that.”

Von der Leyen did not name any countries, but her warning appeared to be a veiled threat to the United Kingdom. U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab expressed surprise at the warning, saying that “the world is watching.”

“We’ve, all of us, including with our European friends, been saying throughout the pandemic that you’d be wrong to curtail or interfere with lawfully contracted supply,” Raab said.

He said senior EU officials recently told him “that they weren’t aware of any plans to restrict lawfully contracted supply to the U.K.”

“We, like our European friends, are keeping supply chains open. Keeping trade and vital supplies of medical equipment and vaccines is critically important. We all (have) been arguing for this. And we expect those assurances and legally contracted supply to be respected,” Raab added.

Von der Leyen praised vaccine-makers BioNTech...