Der kaiser

The European Union may block the export of up to 19 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, as the bloc continues to struggle to innoculate its population. In comments published on Saturday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen threatened to seize control of the production of the AstraZeneca jab if the British-Swedish pharma company does not prioritise European contracts ahead of others. “We have the possibility to forbid planned exports. That is the message to AstraZeneca: You fulfil your contract with Europe before you start delivering to other countries,” von der Leyen said , per DW. “I cannot justify to European citizens why we export millions of vaccine doses to countries that produce vaccines themselves — and from whom nothing comes back,” the Commission president said, adding: “And I can barely justify exports to countries that have a much higher vaccination rate and far fewer infections than the EU.” Brussels has claimed that the … [Read more...] about European Union Threatens to Block Export of up to 19 Million Vaccines to the UK

Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said that the British contract with AstraZeneca is stronger than the EU’s and “trumps” the bloc’s agreement. The minister made the remarks as Brussels threatens to block shipments of British-bought coronavirus vaccines. On Thursday, leaders of the EU-27 are set to discuss an amendment to the bloc’s “vaccine transparency mechanism”, which could hold for vaccines and vaccine components from Europe produced under contract for other countries that are progressing well with their inoculation programmes, such as the United Kingdom. The measures could also punish countries that have not sent any doses to the EU. The European Commission and its president, Ursula von der Leyen, have claimed that AstraZeneca and other drugs companies operating in Europe are obliged to prioritise EU orders even if supplies are under contract to nations outside of the bloc, such as Britain. The EU has already given approval for Italy to seize a shipment … [Read more...] about ‘It’s Called Contract Law’: Our Vaccine Contract Trumps EU’s, Says UK Minister

The European Union has backed down from approving measures that could ban vaccine exports under contract to the United Kingdom after member states feared the reciprocal loss of components needed to produce their own doses. On Thursday, the European Commission, led by President Ursula von der Leyen, proposed measures that would block vaccine shipments bound for outside of the bloc if the nation was already well advanced in its inoculation programme. Despite support from France, Spain, and Italy for von der Leyen’s “vaccine export control mechanism”, the Netherlands and Belgium, with support from Germany, overruled the plans, according to The Times . Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte feared that the EU blocking exports to the UK could result in a tit-for-tat, with Britain blocking vaccine components Belgium relies on in its production of the Pfizer vaccine. Von der Leyen and nations that back her proposal demanded that the bloc’s agreement with AstraZeneca, though signed … [Read more...] about EU Backs Down over UK Vaccine Blockade Threat

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel met with Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan to discuss migration and thaw recent rocky relations. The meeting took place in the Turkish capital of Ankara and saw the two top European Union officials meet with the Turkish president following Erdogan’s change in tone towards the EU in January, in which he spoke of mending ties with the political bloc. According to a report from German newspaper Münchner Merkur , the European Union has offered Turkey a “restart” on relations that could include increased economic cooperation and financial support to the country. Turkish President Erdogan Claims He Wants Improved Relations with EU https://t.co/PjNpDvkbpO — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 15, 2021 The offers come despite concerns voiced by President von der Leyen and President Michel over Turkey’s domestic situation, particularly as it concerns human … [Read more...] about Top EU Officials Meet with Turkish Islamist Prez in Bid to Thaw Relations

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkey on Thursday strongly rejected accusations that it snubbed Ursula von der Leyen – one of the European Union´s most powerful executives – because of her gender, insisting that the EU’s own protocol requests were applied during a meeting at the Turkish presidential palace. Von der Leyen – the European Commission president – and European Council chief Charles Michel met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks on Turkey-EU relations on Tuesday. The guests were led into a large room for discussions with Erdogan, but only two chairs had been set out in front of the EU and Turkish flags for the three leaders. Von der Leyen stood looking at the men who took the chairs, expressing her astonishment with a “ehm” sound and a gesture of disappointment. She was later seen seated on a large beige sofa, away from her male counterparts. The images drew intense criticism on social media and accusations of gender discrimination. European Commission … [Read more...] about Turkey Denies Snubbing EU Prez Ursula at High-Level Summit Where Two Chairs Provided for Three Leaders