Community leaders clamor for coordination while Italy, Greece, Portugal or Ireland already request PCR along with the vaccination pass
The devilish speed of expansion of omicron, which is expected to be the dominant strain in the EU in mid-January, became the central issue of the last summit of European leaders in 2021 on Thursday. More than four hours captured a debate that Ursula von der Leyen opened with the battery of data on vaccination rates in different countries. And that closed with conclusions in which it is considered “crucial and urgent” to extend immunization to all Europeans (around 150 million would not have received a single injection), which includes “deploying” the doses also quickly reinforcement.
The fissures opened on another front, that of displacement within the EU. They were resolved with measured language. Calling for “continuous coordinated efforts while ensuring that any restriction is based on objective criteria and does not undermine the functioning of the single market or disproportionately impede free movement between Member States.”
A wrapping language that did not totally hide the discrepancies of many leaders with the unilateral measures adopted by Greece, Portugal. Ireland and, in the last hours, Italy. The Government of Mario Draghi requires negative PCR from visitors, even if they are vaccinated with the full schedule. A measure similar to the one that Portugal launched on December 1. And that Athens will also apply from this Sunday for those who have stayed more than two days abroad, although, in principle, only during the Christmas period. His argument: “buy time to get vaccinated as many people as possible.”
The imposition of additional negative PCR to the ‘covid pass’, erodes to some extent the validity of the latter. And that is the reading made, for example, by the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, who was directly opposed because “he does not distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated people.” A position that was verbalized by other prime ministers such as the Belgian Alexander De Croo, who in this European Council also served as the ‘prime minister’ of the Netherlands (Mark Rutte complied with the protocol for his re-election).
Draghi defended before his colleagues that the new restrictions were aimed at “gaining a certain advantage to protect the health system” since the new mutation is not yet widespread in the country. He recalled that 135,000 people have died in Italy from coronavirus and defended the criterion of “precaution” as a guide. The point is that not only bothered the substance but also the forms: Rome had not notified the European Commission in advance of this strategy. And that is one of the keys to a harmonized approach that is not the first time it has cracked.
Less vaccinated
The leaders debated on the updated data that the president of the Community Executive explained to them at length. Von der Leyen provided them with graphics that he spread simultaneously on social media. 67% of the European population is already vaccinated, but with nine countries (Hungary, Estonia, Slovenia, Poland, Croatia, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria) with ratios lower than 60%. “We have to work hard to increase those rates,” asked Von der Leyen.
Spain, with 74.2%, would be the sixth country in the complete vaccination ranking (behind Denmark, Portugal, Malta, Ireland and Belgium). Among the laggards, however, when it comes to booster doses (just over 11%).
The leaders’ speeches took this point on the agenda longer than expected, which took up the entire morning of a summit that started at 10:00 am and was attended for the first time by the German Olaf Scholz; the Swedish Magdalena Andersson; and the Austrian Karl Nehammer. Pedro Sánchez defended “coordination, universal vaccination and the export of vaccines,” according to sources from the Spanish delegation.
Among the commitments made by the Twenty-seven, also that of “intensifying” support “to the countries most in need, particularly in Africa, both by continuing to support Covax and bilaterally, in cooperation with partners” or “rapidly eliminating the obstacles to the global deployment of vaccines ”.
Mandatory vaccination, which seemed to be gaining ground as a strategy to contain the new wave of infections and which Germany and Austria have opted for, was not a substantial part of the discussion. On December 1, Von der Leyen, personally and with endless qualifications, considered “understandable and appropriate to have this discussion now.” However, diplomatic sources explained that this matter was hardly discussed. “It was mentioned by a couple of leaders, but it was not at the heart of the debate,” they assured.
.
#Ómicron #cracks #travel #policy