The EU are on a collision course with the UK over vaccines.

Mokryna is right there are no appointments available in large parts of France for people wanting vaccination even if they were prepared to have the AZ one. I have just heard that I will be eligible from Saturday but that does not mean there will be an available appointment.

vegansrock

In a meeting of Tory MPs , when asked why the U.K. have done so well in the vaccine rollout B Johnson replied “ Capitalism and greed “He quickly told MPs to forget he said that. Wonder why.

Back to the discussion about capitalism lifting more out of poverty than communism.....

In a meeting of Tory MPs , when asked why the U.K. have done so well in the vaccine rollout B Johnson replied “ Capitalism and greed “He quickly told MPs to forget he said that. Wonder why.

“If you take the Pfizer vaccine,” said the Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin – one of the sanest voices emerging from the EU, as the French and Germans threaten blockades at a time of mass hysteria over the AstraZeneca jab – “280 materials go into making the vaccine, 86 suppliers supply those materials from 19 countries around the world.”

In the radio interview aimed on Monday at the EU Commission and a fraught domestic audience, he explained patiently: “You start putting up barriers, other countries may follow suit in terms of some of those vital raw materials that are required. If we start that we are in trouble.”

We have in fact offered to help with the AZ production in Holland. Advise etc as far as I understand.

It was the "billion" that caught my eye maddyone

I think the EU Commission understands perfectly the basics of contract law and that UvdL is posturing to try to cover up the fact that they haven't handled the vaccine development and manufacture side at all well. I read in the New Statesman that the EU were not convinced that any vaccines could be developed so didn't support it, whereas the UK and US took the chance and that, thankfully, has paid off. We did well, no question.

Interesting point raised by DH today...if we had still been in the EU, and involved in their decisions about vaccine financial support and contracts for the whole bloc, would our expertise have been useful? Would the whole bloc be in a better place? After all, we had a seat at the table. We could have helped.

If the incompetent EU Commission cannot understand the basics of contract law then its their fault, not ours. Furthermore it would be more honest if they stopped lying about who owns vaccines. Neither the UK government nor the EU ‘own’ vaccines until they are delivered as part of a contract, or own vaccine supply chains. Private companies own them, and supply on the basis of contract law.

This isn't vaccine nationalism, its vaccine piracy. The United Kingdom should take all reasonable measures to protect its citizens in the face of what is now open hostility.

Alegrias
That the EU funded the the setting up of the Jenner Institute didn’t surprise me at all. The EU were/are well known for funding scientific programmes, especially where countries worked together. The Jenner Institute have worked on many vaccines, in particular the one for malaria, not just the Covid vaccine. In the case of the Covid AstraZeneca vaccine, I believe it is Britain and Sweden who have developed it.

I’m not sure about the actual funding now you’ve queried it, I thought I read billion, maybe it was million. It’s still rather more than the EU put up though.

I just hope the vaccination programme continues to go well in the UK and goes well in Europe. We need an end to the petty squabbling and we need to get everyone vaccinated.

maddyone

Found it, the EU paid 336 euros towards the development of the AZ vaccine, in exchange for an agreement that the EU would be provided with 400 million doses.

336 euros against 65.5 billion?

Lets not get carried away....

Up until Brexit the EU were the largest funder of the Jenner Institute. In July last year they were expressing concern about how they would continue to function without their EU funding. That was after the UK had committed £65 million in May (not billion!) for the creation of the Oxford vaccine.

There is no doubt the EU have made a mess of the vaccination program and AZ have has technical difficulties slowing down production. Most AZ vaccine we use is UK produced, some is imported, as is the Pfizer vaccine.

This supply crisis will be smoothed over, at least UK had a head start vaccinating the most vulnerable first. It will probably be slower going now, getting everyone done will take longer, any hope of international travel will likely get delayed a couple of months.

We have drop in clinics here to vaccinate the over 50s so there are vaccines around.

Where are you Mokryna?

Urmstongran

Given they have 12 million AZ in stock, and their citizens don't want it, is this just a ploy to halt our vaccination programme, so we don't outshine them?

Actually I’m sure I read somewhere over the weekend that some 200,000 doses of AZ had been destroyed in Europe because their citizens wouldn’t take it - many had rung up, enquired which vaccine it was and said ‘no thanks’.

What is being printed and what is happening on the ground are two different things. Appointments cannot be made as there are no vaccines available for people who want to be vaccinated here.

Jaberwok

The two world wars. 1914 and 1939 were caused by both the Kaiser and Hitler Empire building , not scarce resources. Sounds familliar??!

I don't think that in either case it was as simple as that .

All of the European powers (including the UK) had empires, and were carving up the world between them, in order to take as many of their resources as they could. That, coupled with the spread of Nationalism, such as we are seeing now, and animosity between neighbouring states were arguably the main causes of WW1.

Hitler gained power after years of Germany being forced to pay reparations after WW1, resulting in economic collapse and poverty for the masses, plus a well-oiled propaganda machine which was able to persuade a majority to scapegoat the Jews and others who did not conform to the Aryan ideal, vote him in and follow his murderous philosphy.

Propaganda, scapegoating, Nationalism, competition for resources (scarce or plentiful), 'charismatic' leaders, an impending recession, the crushing of resistance - now that sounds worryingly familiar.

I don’t know whether the EU were the largest funder of the Jenner Institute or not, but we were discussing the funding for the AstraZeneca vaccine. I know it was developed at the Jenner Institute, which is at Oxford University, but it’s not the same thing. One was funding to set up the institute, the other was funding to develop the vaccine. The British funding was huge compared to the EU funding.

The EU was the largest funder of the Jenner Institute where the UK virus was developed

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-
universities-2020-7-brexit-funding-gap-for-oxford-s-covid-19-vaccine-institute/

No

The two world wars. 1914 and 1939 were caused by both the Kaiser and Hitler Empire building , not scarce resources. Sounds familliar??!

Found it, the EU paid 336 euros towards the development of the AZ vaccine, in exchange for an agreement that the EU would be provided with 400 million doses.

336 euros against 65.5 billion?

varian

The biggest funder of the Jenner Institute, where the Oxford/ AstraZenica vaccine was developed by a team led by Sarah Gilbert, was the EU Commission.

The UK funded the AZ vaccine to the tune of 65.5 billion. I can find no evidence that the EU funded any of the vaccine. I’m happy to be proved wrong, but it’s difficult to find any proof.
The UK and Sweden developed the vaccine.

Given they have 12 million AZ in stock, and their citizens don't want it, is this just a ploy to halt our vaccination programme, so we don't outshine them?

Actually I’m sure I read somewhere over the weekend that some 200,000 doses of AZ had been destroyed in Europe because their citizens wouldn’t take it - many had rung up, enquired which vaccine it was and said ‘no thanks’.

The EU believes Boris Johnson will spin the growing vaccine row as "riding to Europe’s rescue" after the successful rollout of the programme in the UK, senior sources said today.

The Prime Minister is expected to appeal directly to member states, after the European Commission said it would ensure that Dutch-manufactured AstraZeneca shots would stay in the EU.

An EU diplomat from a country traditionally friendly to Britain told The Telegraph: "If a company can’t sort out the problems it has created, it falls to politicians to broker a solution.

"And riding on the success of his own vaccine campaign surely this would be a chance for the British Prime Minister to spin this as riding to Europe’s rescue."

The USA have done their own testing on the AZ vaccine and are assured it is safe and will be used there. While the EU continue to faff about people there are getting ill and dying.

The biggest funder of the Jenner Institute, where the Oxford/ AstraZenica vaccine was developed by a team led by Sarah Gilbert, was the EU Commission.

This serves to highlight the EU needs us more than we need the EU at the moment. Maybe there will be future times when the roles are reversed and the EU will help Britain out.