Australian Prime Minister: "EU Must Send 3.1 Million Vaccine Doses That Should Have Come to Australia"

3.1 Million Doses of AZ Vaccine Scheduled Last Month Still Not Arrived
Australia Accuses EU of Export Ban, EU Denies Any Such Action

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As diplomatic tensions escalate between the European Union (EU) and Australia over COVID-19 vaccine exports, the Australian Prime Minister officially condemned the EU's vaccine export restrictions, stating that the EU must send the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccines that were not delivered last month.

According to the UK Guardian, on the 7th, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at a press conference, "We are requesting the EU to allow the export of 3.1 million doses of the AZ vaccine that were not delivered by last month," adding, "We are discussing vaccine supply issues with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and it is good news that the EU has changed its stance within a day, deciding not to consider export restrictions."

Earlier, the European Commission blocked the export of 250,000 doses of the vaccine shipped from AZ's factory in Italy to Australia, triggering diplomatic friction with Australia. The Australian government had planned to vaccinate 4 million people by March, but only 670,000 were actually vaccinated. The Australian government stated that this was due to significant delays in AZ vaccine supply, which they attribute to the EU's export restrictions.

According to major foreign media, while AZ has not issued an official statement regarding Australia's claims, the EU emphasizes that the Australian government's claims are not true and that the EU has never blocked vaccine exports. AZ also stated that it bears no responsibility for delays in exports or failure to meet supply commitments to other countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.