Brussels has been embroiled in days of political infighting as its botched handling of the coronavirus vaccine rollout sparked anger across its member states. The European Commission, headed by President Ursula von der Leyen, put a temporary measure in place to restrict the exports of vaccines produced in the bloc amid an ongoing row with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. It claimed it is concerned about how some manufacturers within the bloc had been handling orders, while AstraZeneca told the bloc it would not be able to supply as many vaccines as expected to the EU, at the present time. The row deepened after Ms von der Leyen admitted the bloc's approach to the vaccine rollout had been wrong, as she said the EU had been slow in dishing out jabs. She told German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung "A country can be a speedboat for vaccines, but the EU is more like a tanker".
Widespread condemnation has followed throughout Brussels, particularly as the UK has managed to secure a much higher vaccination rate for its citizens.
It has also developed more calls from nations looking to follow the UK out of the EU, with Eurosceptism on the rise in nations such as Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Source: Daily Express
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