VDL: 'Mistakes Made' On Art.16 Decision Process

Speaking to the European Parliament plenary session, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says that "Mistakes were made on the process leading up to the decision [on Article 16]. But in the end we got it right. We are fully committed to protecting peace in Northern Ireland."

• Other VdL comments: "The EU was late in authorizing, and was too confident in believing supply would be delivered but the plan to negotiate on behalf of all 27 was correct. [...] We made a choice not to cut take shortcuts when it comes to injecting a biologically active substance into a person who's in good health. But there are lessons to be learned about more swift process of authorisation. Lessons to be learned about vaccine production too. We were too concerned with development. But production is complex. Vaccines contain 400 ingredients We will set up a task force to increase production under Thierry Breton.[...] Industry needs to catch up with science. We don't intend to restrict vaccines of companies serving their contracts with the EU, and there are exemptions. [...] We'll need to adapt EU regulations for future variants."
• The Article 16 incident saw a hard border created for a short period of time on the island of Ireland at the behest of the Commission in order to stop the export of COVID-19 vaccines from the EU to the UK, sparking outrage in Belfast, Dublin, and London.
• Link: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/ebs/live/2