The corona pandemic and covid-19 dominated once again when the EU countries' heads of state and government sat connected for a summit via the web for most of Thursday.
A joint statement afterwards stated "the importance of transparency and the use of export licenses".
The latter is a hot potato, linked to the European Commission's expanded control system that will make it possible to stop vaccine exports.
"Companies must fulfill their contracts with the EU before exporting to other regions," said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the press conference afterwards.
"Not easy"
Nevertheless, it is also stated that the new restrictions are mostly to create transparency.
Several more free trade-friendly countries - such as Sweden, Ireland and the Netherlands - are also strongly skeptical of a halt to exports.
"Companies must deliver according to agreement, the EU countries agree on that.
But the issue of restricting trade is not simple because we are dependent on each other to be able to produce vaccines ", writes Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (S) in a statement via text message after the meeting.
"It is important that the new export restrictions are not used in a way that makes vaccine production more difficult," says Löfven.
Concerns about relationship
The threat of a halt in exports is not least intended as a signal to the United Kingdom in particular, in order to speed up deliveries to the EU from two British Astra Zeneca factories.
Possibly an immediate effect can be discerned in a joint statement that the European Commission and the British government agreed on late Wednesday night.
"We are working on concrete steps to take in the short, medium and long term to create a win-win situation and increase the availability of vaccines for all our citizens," the statement said.
Stefan Löfven is still worried about the relationship between Brussels and London.
- The relationship between the UK and the EU seems to be deteriorating and both will suffer.
I'm a little worried overall, not just from the vaccination perspective, the Prime Minister said at a web conference ahead of the summit.