Is the European Union guilty of vaccine nationalism?

Some claim the European Union is lashing out at drugmaker AstraZeneca to distract attention from its own slow and shambolic vaccine programme. But is this picture accurate? Or is the EU, by threatening to block vaccine exports, acting in a reasonable way to protects its interests? Ben Chu investigates

The EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides says AstraZeneca’s vaccine supply downgrade is not acceptable (Getty)

A major row has erupted between the European Union and the pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca over delays to deliveries of its new coronavirus vaccine to the 27-member bloc.

The EU says AstraZeneca, which is headquartered in Cambridge, is failing to fulfil its agreement to supply a certain quantity of the vaccine in the coming weeks.

AstraZeneca says it has simply run into some temporary production problems.