[ad_1]
Press play to listen to this article
Ursula von der Leyen told members of the European Parliament on Tuesday she accepted “full responsibility” for a provision added to the EU’s vaccination export ban that could have resulted in checks on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
In meetings with political groups in the Parliament that had demanded answers about the EU’s troubled coronavirus vaccine rollout, the European Commission president also said that Thierry Breton, the internal market commissioner, was trying to identify locations in Europe that could help ramp up vaccine production.
She also said the EU was urging pharmaceutical companies that might normally be rivals to team up to manufacture more doses as quickly as possible.
While von der Leyen acknowledged some missteps by the Commission, participants in the meetings said she defended the EU’s joint vaccine procurement program, insisted that the Commission was pushing to make all of its vaccine purchasing agreements public, and said that pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca still has not sufficiently explained a production shortfall that will leave the EU tens of millions of doses short of expectations through March.
Several MEPs asked about the now-deleted export ban provision, which was intended to prevent unauthorized vaccine shipments to the U.K. through Northern Ireland but by overriding the Brexit deal threatened to undermine the Good Friday peace agreement.
Once public, it set off a political firestorm and a chorus of protests from Dublin, Belfast and London, which were all blindsided by it. The Commission immediately backtracked and removed the provision.
A participant in von der Leyen’s meeting with the center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group said the president expressed regret for even considering overriding the Brexit border rules, known as Article 16. “We should have avoided having the discussions we had on even thinking about triggering Article 16,” the participant quoted von der Leyen as saying.
The Commission has refused to identify who inserted the provision into the regulation, apparently just minutes before it was approved and published on Friday afternoon, and has said only that the regulation was the result of a collaborative effort among different teams and cabinets including von der Leyen’s own.
“She said she took full responsibility for it,” said MEP Seán Kelly, an Irish member of the center-right European People’s Party group. In a message, Kelly added that he was “very pleased that she was upfront & answered all questions in sequence, including ‘tricky ones.'”
But while the president said she accepted responsibility for the mess, participants in the meetings said she did not place blame on anyone in particular.
Several MEPs expressed satisfaction with her explanations about the Brexit issue and about the vaccine strategy in general. But others said that given the huge public interest they still wanted von der Leyen to answer questions about vaccines during a public debate in plenary, rather than in political group meetings behind closed doors.
“I dearly hope we will see her next week in plenary, and we will be able to have a public debate on this extremely crucial issue, the main concern of our citizens all over the Union,” said Katalin Cseh, a Hungarian member of the Renew Europe group. “Without openness and transparency, it will be extremely difficult for the Commission to restore trust.”
Margarida Marques, a Portuguese MEP from the socialist group, said von der Leyen had made a “very positive” impression and that she appeared to be “dealing well with all the difficulties.”
According to a participant, the leader of the socialist group, Spanish MEP Iratxe García, expressed full support for the EU’s joint vaccine purchasing program and rollout strategy, “even if the current implementation of the strategy had some shortcomings.”
In a statement following his meeting, the leader of Renew Europe, Dacian Cioloș, said that closer coordination with Parliament was needed going forward both on vaccines and on managing relations with the U.K. after Brexit.
“Our discussion with the Commission president was clear and constructive and included the issue of the Irish/Northern Ireland Protocol and delays in deliveries,” Cioloș said. “The vaccine roll-out is a positive step and EU solidarity is absolutely fundamental and the right way forward, but recent errors have added an unwelcome unpredictability at a deeply worrying time for millions of Europeans and businesses.
“Expectations are high. We have no margin for error in this process. Not only does the credibility of the EU and in particular in European Commission depend on it but also the health and wellbeing of our citizens.”
Cioloș said there was a clear need to rebuild trust.
“This evening the Commission president responded to many questions, but nonetheless the European Commission must improve further its communication and provide daily updates to other institutions and to the press on progress and challenges,” he said, adding: “The process surrounding the triggering of Article 16 was opaque and potentially very damaging. There must be closer consultation with MEPs on the operation of the Withdrawal Agreement and a better awareness of its sensitivities.”
Want more analysis from POLITICO? POLITICO Pro is our premium intelligence service for professionals. From financial services to trade, technology, cybersecurity and more, Pro delivers real time intelligence, deep insight and breaking scoops you need to keep one step ahead. Email [email protected] to request a complimentary trial.
[ad_2]
Source link
