VdL: We See High Hurdles For Russia's Sputnik Vaccine In EU

Wires and social media reporting comments attributed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stating that she sees 'high hurdles' for Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to clear in the EU before its approval and distribution across the bloc.

• Her comments come hours after German Health Minister Jens Spahn stated that he "could imagine" the German gov't signing a bilateral deal for Sputnik vaccines, stating in a weekly press conference that, "I can also well imagine that we conclude contracts - and conclude them quickly....I am actually very much in favour of us doing it nationally if the European Union does not do something."
• There remain several fronts that the EU institutions continue to battle on vaccines, both in attempting to retain overall control of the rollout and dissuade member states from going it alone and making bilateral deals for vaccines/rolling out vaccines not yet approved by the EMA/both, as well as seeking to retain as many approved vaccines within the EU as possible and potentially halting the export of doses to other vaccine producers (notably the UK).