Observer Editorial, London, 31 Jan 2021<\/p>\n
Making a scapegoat of Britain can\u2019t disguise the EU\u2019s shambolic response to Covid-19 vaccine acquisition<\/em><\/p>\n The European commission\u2019s U-turn over its reckless plan to effectively blockade the Ireland-Northern Ireland border is the latest humiliation suffered by Brussels amid an escalating firestorm sparked by Covid-19 vaccine supply shortages across Europe. The commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has made a series of mistakes and misjudgments in handling the pandemic over the past year. This latest blunder<\/a> will intensify doubts about her leadership.<\/p>\n It is extraordinary that Von der Leyen and senior colleagues did not appear to appreciate how unwise, and potentially dangerous for the Belfast-Good Friday agreement, was their move to impose back-door vaccine import controls on the UK using Brexit\u2019s Northern Ireland protocol. This had to be personally spelled out to her by Boris Johnson and the Irish taoiseach, Miche\u00e1l Martin. Both expressed \u201cdeep unhappiness\u201d \u2013 code for utter fury and amazement.<\/p>\n The shambles in Brussels did not begin with this row, nor is Von der Leyen the only culprit. A palpable sense of panic has gripped EU leaders in recent days as public anger has understandably grown over Europe-wide vaccine shortfalls<\/a>. In France, Spain and elsewhere, vaccination schedules are in turmoil. People in the most vulnerable groups are being turned away. As demands for an explanation rise, political blame-shifting has reached a new level.<\/p>\n AstraZeneca, the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company, has emerged as the scapegoat of choice<\/a> for European politicians and bureaucrats anxious to avoid taking responsibility. Its outstanding success, sparked by a brilliant team of scientists and researchers at Oxford University, in producing a highly effective, easily administered, at-cost vaccine seems too much to stomach for the likes of Emmanuel Macron, France\u2019s president.<\/p>\n