It should be possible to stop the export of vaccines from the EU to countries that do not deliver back or have already been vaccinated much more than in the EU, according to a proposal from Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The Swedish government is critical of the proposal, which the EU countries' heads of state and government will discuss at their digital summit on Thursday.
- It will be a dangerous development if we start setting more and more limits for trade, says EU Minister Hans Dahlgren in SVT's Report.
Do you see a risk of a real trade war?
- That risk is there, I really hope that we will instead be able to solve this through talks, with the leaders in Washington, London and New Dehli and not have to use any export stops, says Hans Dahlgren.
"May lead to fewer doses available"
According to SVT's European correspondent David Boati, it is likely that the proposal will go through.
- Should there be an export stop between, for example, the United Kingdom and the EU, in the short term only the British will lose out on it because so far no doses have come from there.
But the concern from critics, including Sweden, is that an escalating conflict and trade barriers could affect supplies from the UK of components and ingredients needed in the production of the vaccine.
- It could ultimately lead to fewer doses being available, says David Boati in Rapport.