I am running out of words to describe what is happening. There are three groups of countries. Those wealthy enough to vaccinate its citizens, those who cannot afford it - and the European Union pic.twitter.com/HtwETh9Xwq
— Bruno Maçães (@MacaesBruno) February 22, 2021
Just weeks ago, the European Union was clamoring for AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine. Now, fewer than one-tenth of the doses delivered to Germany have been administered in the initial days of the roll-out, and some health-care workers say they’re concerned about side effects.
Germany isn’t alone: Some French health workers are also pushing to get shots from Moderna Inc., Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE instead.
The EU vaccine campaign is already far behind that of the U.S. and U.K.,
and catching up will be impossible in the near term unless people are
willing to take the 300 million shots the bloc ordered from AstraZeneca.
Badmouthing the AZ vaccine, in order to cover up the incompetence of Commission, has now come back to bite the EU on the arse.
💥 NEW with @GeorgeWParker @pmdfoster: Inside the Downing Street power struggle that saw David Frost take his fourth government job of 2021, join the cabinet, become a Cabinet Office Minister and take control of UK-EU relations https://t.co/kBbaBPjYcS
— Sebastian Payne (@SebastianEPayne) February 17, 2021
Lord Frost, as from 1 March, will be in the Cabinet and be responsible for UK/EU relations.
Some people are whining that he is not elected. However, as they well know, no members of the Cabinet are elected, they are appointed by the PM.
His appointment is entirely rational, as he was responsible for negotiating the Brexit deal.
EU set to allow data to continue to flow freely to the UK after concluding that the British had ensured an adequate level of protection for personal information
— Darren McCaffrey (@DarrenEuronews) February 15, 2021
It will be welcomed those in health, insurance and technology that regularly transfer customer personal information
I think entirely in line with expectations. Doubling down & dismissing any real prospect of improving operations of the Protocol. Entirely within EU's right & understandable in some ways. But equally I think short sighted. Thread 1/ https://t.co/rEwR0efwGp
— Raoul Ruparel (@RaoulRuparel) February 11, 2021
Dublin is becoming increasingly concerned that it will become squashed in the fallout from this, now that it realises that the EU doesn't give a monkey's about it.
On @BBCNews at 6pm, Taoiseach @michealMartinTD says the EU should 'dial it down a bit' over the UK & #Brexit or Ireland could become 'collateral damage'.
— Alastair Stewart (@AlStewartOBE) February 11, 2021
Huge questions to be answered about #EU Commission's handling of #covid #vaccine procurement - and the crazy decision to trigger Article 16. Open letter from Irish MEPs calling on President von der Leyen to appear in Parliament next week to answer questions on all of it pic.twitter.com/ZuxGWyhbP0
— Mick Wallace (@wallacemick) February 4, 2021
Bet she doesn't turn up!
This thread is a helpful explainer as to what Article 16 is all about.
A lot of discussion about Article 16 of NI Protocol, especially after Johnson said that he would consider invoking it to prevent a border down the Irish Sea.
— Anton Spisak (@AntonSpisak) February 4, 2021
A thread to clarify what Article 16 really is, & why it doesn't offer a solution to the Prime Minister's problem: /1
It would seem that the UK are now pushing to invoke it. However, unlike the EU which invoked it without exhausting (or even following) the agreed consultation process, the UK will at first try consultation and negotiation.
