Pfizer-Biontech vaccines: the cunning of Germany, the disappointment of Italy and the patch of Brussels
What really happened on Pfizer-Biontech vaccines between Italy, Germany and Brussels? Here are facts and reconstructions
The diplomatic incident between Germany and Italy has been averted. But the question is far from resolved. Berlin, which in recent days has protested against the few doses of Pfizer-Biontech vaccine, insured by the EU Commission, has decided to move in solitude and to opt for another 30 million doses from Biontech.
The move has infuriated Italy and beyond. And he forced Europe to patch. All the details.
THE SUPPLY PLUS
Let's start with the facts. As already reported by Start Magazine , Germany has placed an order, bilaterally, of 30 million doses with the German Biontech, of Mainz, for the anti Covid vaccine developed in collaboration with the American Pfizer. The first placed on the market.
THE EUROPEAN AGREEMENT
The special order, defined by the German newspaper Zdf as a "purely national move", infuriated Italy and also the other EU countries: the purchase of vaccines through the Commission prohibited, in fact, the Member States to move in loneliness to secure further doses.
CONTE: ITALY HAS RESPECTED AGREEMENTS
Italy has not secured additional doses “because in article 7 of the contract and the decision taken by the European Commission there is a ban on bilateral procurement if access is made at European level. Point ”, said the Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, in the press conference at the end of the year.
“Italy has not tried to secure other orders because the doses negotiated contractually in favor of Italy and the whole of Europe are hundreds of millions, they are absolutely sufficient, with various companies, with various production lines,” added Conte.
THE WORDS OF THE GERMAN HEALTH MINISTER
The protests reached as far as Berlin, which also called Italy to avert the worst: “I have already talked about it with Minister Speranza, because in Italy there is a debate on this. It was always clear that it could not be dealt with in parallel with the European package, but that it was possible to deal with additional doses ", in addition to the EU quotas, explained the German Health Minister Jens Spahn, commenting on what happened.
THE EU INTERVENTION
The protests have not left the EU indifferent either. So much so that in the past few hours she has intervened on the subject trying to repair Germany's move: “We have decided to take another 100 million additional doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, already in use. We will then have 300 million doses of this vaccine, which has been rated safe and effective. More vaccines will follow, ”said the president of the European commission Ursula von der Leyen.
And again: "As far as we know, no one has secured additional doses out of the EU agreement," said a spokesman for the EU commission.
THE BRUSSELS PATCH
Statements, those coming from Brussels, which seem to be both a patch on what made by Germany.
What actually happened? Corriere della Sera tries to explain it with a double version: “A feel-good version, Germany would have gone ahead, burning the commission's announcement because those 30 million, actually 27, are part of the new European agreement. Or, with the cameras off, the commission intervened to prevent Germany's flight forward from blowing up everything. In reality, the German share of the additional 100 million announced by Von der Leyen would be lower: about 20 million against the 30 that blew up the case. But in every patch the seam marks remain visible ”.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/vaccini-pfizer-biontech-la-furbizia-della-germania-la-delusione-dellitalia-e-la-toppa-di-bruxelles/ on Wed, 30 Dec 2020 14:09:21 +0000.