Brussels extends export controls for COVID-19 vaccines

(BRUSSELS) - As Europe continues to suffer delays in some deliveries of vaccines, the EU Commission extended Thursday its 'transparency and authorisation' mechanism for COVID-19 vaccine exports to end June.

Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said the EU expected companies with which it had signed contracts to "fulfil their obligations towards EU citizens". She added: "not all companies are honouring their agreements with the EU despite having received a down payment to enable sufficient production. We will insist that compliance is ensured and we will continue to work with companies to ramp up production in Europe as quickly as possible."

Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis pointed out that the trade disuption feared by many had not taken place: "Since the measure was introduced, shipments were authorised to more than 30 countries. This confirms that even during a very critical health situation, the EU has made a considerable effort to be a reliable and responsible trading partner."

The EU continues to be the leading provider of vaccines around the world. Six weeks into the existence of this mechanism, 249 export requests to 31 different countries* have been granted for a total of 34,090,267 doses, as they did not threaten the contractual engagements between the EU and the vaccine producers. Only one export request was not granted.

The main export destinations include the United Kingdom (with approximately 9.1 million doses), Canada (3.9 million), Mexico (3.1 million), Japan (2.7 million), Saudi Arabia (1.4 million), Hong Kong (1.3 million), Singapore (1 million), United States (1 million), Chile (0.9 million) and Malaysia (0.8 million).

The EU's export authorisation mechanism only applies to exports from companies with which the EU has concluded Advance Purchase Agreements (APAs). These APAs commit the vaccine producers to deliver to EU Member States a pre-agreed number of vaccines. The mechanism provides for authorisations of exports of COVID-19 vaccines outside the EU.

Initially put in place on 30 January 2021, and with a timeframe lasting until the 12 of March 2021, the new regulation extends the duration of this mechanism until the end of June 2021. The new regulation also simplifies the procedure by allowing the grouping of exports to different final recipients in the same country in one single request. It also provides clarity by identifying the customs codes for the active substances covered by the measure.

The Commission says the measure is "targeted, proportionate, transparent and temporary". It is fully consistent with the EU's international commitments under the World Trade Organization and the G20, and is in line with what the EU has proposed in the context of the WTO Trade and Health Initiative.

The EU has excluded from this mechanism vaccine supplies for humanitarian aid or those supplies destined to countries under its COVAX Facility.