Don’t quote, don’t trust, verify here, my comments in brackets.
Press briefing in Brussels. 12:04pm. Chief Spokesperson Eric Mamer. Just one accouncement.
Johannes: emergency telephone number. It’s very special, we’re making the 30th anniversary of this emergency number. One half billion calls made to 112.
Eric: technical glitch, so we cannot demonstrate it. [oops]
Irish journalist, didn’t catch name, Giles?: yesterday Prez mentioned that 26 million doses delivered, 17 million vaccinated. Are 9 million vaccines lying around somewhere? Waiting for 2nd dose?
Stefan: number of doses that have been administered. More delivered than administered. MS in charge of vaccinations, they define priorities. Might explain distinction.
Eric: MS keeping some doses in reserve to ensure that they can provide the second shot.
Journalist, follow-up?: back in Lisbon, van der Leyen, reading script, saying that vaccines need to be one of the main priorities, shouldn’t she be saying that it’s the only priority. Is there a lack of urgency here?
Eric: [trying to keep it all inside] I’m amazed by your question, the president in the parliament yesterday, gave a long speech, moving as quickly as possible on vaccines, Commission fully, fully focused on ensuring on delivering vaccines as quickly as possible, secondly, vaccine campaigns in MS that are [implemented] as quickly as possible. MS define strategies. EC entirely focussed on ensuring the vaccine campaigns can be targets. Good hopes to achieve this.
Jorge: When is [the president] going to come down to the press room to talk not to a select group but to all of us?
Eric: I will announced a press conference by the president when she decides to come down to the press room. Group meetings should all follow the same format, so closed.
Jorge, follow-up: we’re in the middle of a big crisis [AND I WANT TO SEE THE PRESIDENT DAMMIT]. Transparency?
Eric: President given over 30 interviews in the past couple of days. She’s answered all kinds of questions. Hopefully in the near future [but never if you keep going on like this].
David: who has established this common practice, you’ve been around for quite a while, you’ve reminded us about president’s heavy agency, even Juncker always replied to the MEPs, so wondering whether this practice has been agreed on with the parliament [not taking questions? Not sure]. Sometimes not replied by the president. Second, transparency, AstraZeneca, supplies in the first 3 months, negotiations still underway, 40 million, AstraZeneca clarified deliveries for next 3 months, you’ve said there’s not yet clarity.
Eric: I don’t have statistics. This wasn’t the first time that the President is in a debate and it’s someone from the College that does the final round of replies [this came up yesterday, journalists suspicious of this]. Other examples. On AstraZeneca, question, Stephan.
Stefan: can’t give you much info. Company proposed 40 million. We stressed that we must continue to increase the number of doses, as agreement stipulated. We’re in regular contact with AstraZeneca.
David, follow-up: So not certain that in the 2nd quarter AstraZeneca will be able to deliver what they agreed to, is that correct?
Stefan: They’re supposed to. We’re talking with them. I can’t give you precise numbers [about AstraZeneca or others].
Shona: what’s the point in having debates if the president leaves mid-way to do interviews?
Eric: Look the president was in the plenary for 3.5 hours yesterday, she stepped out to talk to journalists. You look forward to that. But it seems like it never works [you are NEVER satisfied! Or grateful! Or satisfied!]. Always a College presence in the debate.
Shona: everybody was there for 3.5 hours and everyone wanted to hear from her, in the future, are MEPs going to be lining up for questions and she leaves? [it’s getting real]
Eric: President won’t respond to every single intervention, 80 interventions. Response on a case-by-case basis.
Isabelle: contact group with Parliament. The president said to ‘scrutinise contacts’ would be part of its remit. So a few MEPs would have access to the complete contracts? Why wasn’t this thought of previously?
Eric: [slowly exploding] you can always have hindsight, the Commission is trying to react to developments, we adapt to reply better, we should be welcoming that more steps with stakeholders have taken place. Re the contact group, no extra details to give you today. Have to follow-up later.
Tommaso: Italy, vacuum of power, regions putting together their forces, now they intend to purchase vaccines outside the EU from unspecified intermediaries, is this legally feasible?
Stefan: your question has aspects that are not quite clear or concrete [fighting words!]. Legally feasible? Can only say whether it’s in line with our vaccine strategy or not. Strategy does not allow parallel negotiations. For vaccines not covered by strategy, or no advance purchase agreements, there, regions, etc can [pursue agreements with other vaccine producers].
Eric: Tommaso, let’s not invert the perspective, health is a national competence. We have a specific strategy in this crisis, negotiating a certain number of advance purchase agreements with some companies, outside that, [it’s up to the MS]. A MS competence to deal with health issues.
Francesco: Clarifications for Belgian factory to ask AstraZeneca to see who is responsible for what has happened? According to you, AZ responsible b/c not sending their doses from the UK. Are you talking to the UK re effective ban to the EU, given the EU shipping millions of vaccines to the UK?
Stefan: We’ll still discussing with AZ for good solid explanations and so delivers can take place. Re visits to plants, this is a matter of the AZ company. Up to AZ to manage their contract relationship with plants, company, etc. A matter for the AZ, not for us to go into this, we have to reach a clear understanding for deliveries [according to] the contract.
Eric: president did raise the issue with Boris Johnson, she was told that nothing prevented the UK plants from delivering doses to the EU.
Francesco, follow-up: the UK uses his contract with AZ to restrict doses to the EU. Why are we not seeing doses coming from the UK?
Eric: we’re heard the reassurances, we’re in contact with AZ. As far as we are concerned, we have a contract and we expect that progress will be made regarding the doses.
Griselda: patents. Lots of MEPs wanting to know about contracts, the issuing of patents. Did the president really listen to them?
Eric: yes, president took part in the debate.
Miriam: first, universal and fair access to vaccines is an EC priority. Thought issue to intellectual property is essential for vaccines. Increasing production to give all countries is very important, but understand there are problems. We’ve heard about existing patents, but there is flexibility with licenses. We’re not considering removing patents b/c we have sufficient flexibility through the WTO to allow for facilitated access to all MS.
Griselda follow-up: is there a date for a new meeting between the president and representatives of industry?
Eric: we announce the agenda a week before, cannot give you a date now.
Patrizia:
Eric: not working Patrizia.
Lukasz: foreign affairs question?
Eric: not now. Back to Patrizia? No. Back to Lukasz, closing chapter on vaccines.
Lukasz: question on Russia. Steinmeier defended Nord Stream 2 b/c Germany owed Russia a ‘debt of guilt’. Ukraine criticised this work, also Poland. What do you think about this? Nord Stream 2 as compensation? Also, Russia, yesterday country issued arrest warrant for Navalny guy based outside Russia. What about this?
Nabila [with a BIG stack of papers that she plops down on the lectern]: repeat question. [he does] I refer you to the speech by the HRVP, EU strongly condemned unlawful arrest of Navalny, and arrests of others. President von der Leyen and Michel called on Russian authorities [to stop it]. Commission has voiced several times that Nord Stream 2 does not lead to diversifying resources of the European Union. A project of a group of private firms and we cannot prevent them from building it. Companies will need to operate in line with EU law. The most we and I can say.
Eric: other FA questions?
Lukasz follow-up: int’l arrest warrant for Navalny associate?
Nabila: no info on that.
Alain: Russia. On Sunday, going to be pro-Navalny demonstrations. Wondering whether diplomats will be present at these protests.
Nabila: at the moment, I don’t know. But I am happy to check this and come back to you. Our position is very clear. There will be a discussion in the FA council on the 22nd.
Eric: EU diplomat staff carries out tasks without prior announcements.
Nabila: we call on Russian authorities to respect demonstrators if they are peaceful.
Alain: given what’s happening, 3 EU diplomats [expelled], this could be understood as a reply from the EU, the first sign that the EU didn’t really appreciate what happened last week.
Eric: we’ll send your suggestion to the EEAS. [sarcasm?]
Patrizia: You said MS can buy vaccines that [fading in an out]
Eric: you’re completely breaking up. Contact us bilaterally.
Catherine: yesterday you said you’re not going to comment on every single development in relation to Poland and the rule of law, but yesterday a Dutch court decided that it would not extradite a Pole living in the Netherlands because court thinks that he would not benefit from fundamental rights to a fair trial. So question, is, since already a decision by the European court, not just confined to Poland, what action will the EC take, since increasingly urgent to act?
Christian: we’ve seen the reports. This is a follow-up on the preliminary ruling re deficiencies in the judicial system [and how serious]. [Technical stuff, I didn’t get it all] We are seeing a normal judiciary process unfolding here.
Catherine: you didn’t answer my question. What further action are you going to take? What are you going to do about it?
Eric: we announce decisions if we decide that they are right if the time comes. I’m sorry, that’s how the institution works. Could be different from your perspective, but you’re putting the spokesperson in a difficult position. Your concerns are legitimate.
Catherine: it’s not my concerns, it’s the concerns of a national court. Why are you not taking on this?
Eric: you’re question was, what are we going to do about it? EC announces what it’s going to do when it’s in a position [to do something].
12:54 END