The EU’s vaccine war is daft, dangerous and counterproductive to fighting Covid

Editorial: President von der Leyen wants to ban exports of the AstraZenaca jab to Britain. But where’s the sense in hoarding these doses when many European nations are reluctant to use it?

Ursula von der Leyen at a press conference following a college meeting to introduce draft legislation on a common EU Covid-19 vaccination certificate, in Brussels on 17 March (EPA)

The world knows that vaccine wars are dangerous and deeply counterproductive. What is more perplexing is when one combatant can’t actually decide which side it is on. Some countries in Europe have ceased to administer the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. But now President von der Leyen of the European Commission wants to ban exports to Britain of a vaccine they don’t have any use for: Ursula through the looking glass, it seems. Curious, but dangerous too.

Ever since President Macron made some disobliging, and frankly ignorant, remarks about the safety of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine some weeks ago, there has been a steady drumbeat of disquiet and fears emanating from the continent. Nation after nation has variously “paused” or limited the use of the vaccine. Although it is sometimes referred to as British, it is in fact an Anglo-Swedish company that produces it, and it was developed through impressive international collaboration. It is safe, though many European nations deem it less than perfect, including some such as Norway and Switzerland, outside the EU. Some, it should be added, inside the EU have qualms, such as Greece and Portugal.

A mixed picture then, but the general impression is of the larger states of the EU not being especially keen on it. “More fool them” might be a chauvinistic British response. Yet now the president of the European Commission has reverted to making threatening noises about slapping an export ban on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, slowing its supply to the UK. It is true that this would help protect supplies and lives in Europe. It might even be what is legally required of AstraZeneca. Yet it makes little sense for the EU to try to hoard these doses when governments and peoples in the EU are reluctant to use them. Ursula von der Leyen seems to have a special gift for poor PR, and threatening to hoard vaccines they don’t want is just daft.