Austria calls on EU to 'correct' inequalities in the vaccine distribution

Several central and European countries are pressing the European Union to set up a “corrective mechanism” to address “inequalities” in the vaccine distribution within the bloc. According to AP, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called for greater transparency in coronavirus vaccines. Kurz hosted his Czech, Bulgarian and Slovenian counterparts in Vienna Tuesday, with the Latvian and Croatian leaders joining by videoconference. 

During the meeting, he said that some member of countries may be able to vaccinate their population by mid-May but others may take up to 10 weeks longer. The Austrian leader added, "that will lead to tension within the European Union and wouldn't be understood by Europeans”. He also said that countries are in “good contact” with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, and hope for a solution. 

The leaders have said that although the EU had agreed on the distribution of the vaccines on a per-capita basis, some countries have received considerably more than others. Earlier this week, the Austrian Chancellor had said that even though the 27-member bloc had agreed upon even distribution of the vaccines on a per capita basis, as of the end of June, the Netherlands would receive double the number per person than Croatia, for example. Austria, he said, without giving any figures, was somewhere in the middle of the group.

Kurz cited Bulgaria and Latvia as two other countries where deliveries had been low, and Malta as another country that had received far more. On Tuesday, Bulgarian PM Boyko Borissov said elections are taking place in his country in two weeks. ”We want to vaccinate people so that they can vote in peace,” he added. 

EU indulges in spat over COVID-19 vaccines

Earlier, UK and EU  indulged in a spat over the COVID-19 vaccines after the EU president Charles Michel released a newsletter, stating that the “EU was the driving force and leading donor in the international fundraising that enabled the financing of the research into vaccines." He alleged, that the US and UK, saying that two countries “imposed an outright ban on the export of vaccines or vaccine components produced on their territory." UK's Foreign Secretary Dominic wrote to the President of the European Council expressing angst over the bloc's completely false' claims that the UK banned the export of coronavirus vaccine. He summoned the EU's UK delegation to hold talks ‘for clarification’ at the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office over EU President'sunsubstantiated’ remarks. 

(Image: AP)