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Brussels / Rome (dpa) - For the first time, the export of corona vaccines from the European Union to a third country has been stopped.

Italy prevented the delivery of 250,000 doses of vaccine from the British-Swedish manufacturer Astrazeneca to Australia, as confirmed by EU circles.

First the "Financial Times" reported about it.

The basis is an export control system introduced at the end of January.

According to this, pharmaceutical companies that have delivery obligations for the EU must apply for export permits for vaccines produced in the EU.

If manufacturers unlawfully disadvantage the EU in terms of delivery quantities, permits could be refused.

Astrazeneca had drastically reduced the contractually agreed delivery volume to the EU in the first quarter and thus caused great displeasure.

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Exports to a number of partner countries and developing countries are excluded from the system.

The partner countries include Switzerland, Israel and Ukraine - but not Great Britain and Canada.

The EU member state in which the vaccines intended for export were produced is responsible for the export permits.

The EU states obtain the opinion of the EU Commission before making any decisions.

In the present case, Rome and Brussels were in agreement according to dpa information.

A number of other export applications from other companies had previously been approved, most of them from Biontech / Pfizer, which supplies many countries from Europe.

Unlike Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna, Astrazeneca has not yet supplied the EU with the contractually promised quantities of vaccines.

The company reduced the quantity for the first quarter from 80 million to 40 million cans.

It was suspected that vaccines produced in the EU were brought to third countries.

That was the reason for the introduction of the export mechanism.

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Export restrictions are politically sensitive for the EU.

Because it is desirable that the pharmaceutical companies produce in Europe and set up new locations here.

And it is recognized that the corporations have delivery obligations to other countries.

The EU Commission therefore emphasizes the line that as long as contracts with the EU are adhered to, exports would not be stopped.

In fact, a lot is delivered from the EU to third countries, while nothing or almost nothing is delivered from the USA and Great Britain.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210304-99-690084 / 3