The EU supports tighter rules on covid-19 vaccine exports

EVEN BEFORE cases of covid-19 started to surge again, the slow supply of vaccines in the European Union was a political problem. Companies based in the EU have produced plenty of vaccines; unfortunately for the bloc’s citizens, they have often ended up elsewhere. By the end of this week the EU will have distributed 88m doses of vaccines within the bloc since December. It has so far exported 77m doses. On March 25th European leaders gave qualified support for stricter controls on anyone trying to send vaccines out of the bloc. The plan will let the EU halt exports to countries that are not exporting any to the EU in return, such as Britain or America, or block deliveries to places that have vaccinated proportionally more people than the EU has.