Europe

Russia Demands Slovakia Return Its Sputnik V Vaccines

According to the state Russian direct investment fund (RDIF), Slovakia has violated the contract for the supply of this vaccine against covid-19. The fund, therefore, asked the Slovak government to return the shipment of this vaccine, Reuters reported. According to the TASS agency, RDIF stated that the Slovak State Institute for Drug Control (SÚKL) violated […]

Czech MEP Investigated Over China Ties

Czech member of the European Parliament Jan Zahradil is facing a formal investigation into whether he failed to properly disclose financial support from the Chinese Mission to the EU, Dutch media reported. In a letter to Dutch investigative magazine Follow The Money, a senior official confirmed that European Parliament President David Sassoli had instructed a group of key […]

EU Cuts Czech Republic From Extra Vaccine Deal

Austria, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic have been excluded from an EU move to provide millions of extra vaccines to hard-hit member countries, ending bitter negotiations over jab supply that have divided governments.   A coalition of 24 EU countries on Thursday decided on a “solidarity” mechanism that will provide 2.85m additional doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer […]

EU Tightens Coronavirus Vaccine Export Controls

The European Union will restrict exports of anti-cancer vaccines to countries that do not export vaccines themselves or are further vaccinated against covid-19 than EU countries. Today’s decision by the European Commission extended the scope of the export control system introduced at the end of January to force pharmaceutical companies to meet their obligations to […]

Slovak Foreign Minister Resigns As Government Teeters

The cabinet of the Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovič is leaving two other ministers at the time of the government crisis. On Thursday afternoon, President Zuzana Čaputová will receive the resignations of Foreign Minister Ivan Korčák and Minister of Education Branislav Gröhling. Gröhling and the Freedom and Solidarity Party (SaS) nominated the two ministers to […]

EU Slams AstraZeneca For Production Shortfalls

A leading European Union official has lashed out at the AstraZeneca vaccine company for its massive shortfall in producing doses for the 27-nation bloc, and threatened that any shots produced by them in the EU could be forced to stay there. Sandra Galina, the chief of the European Commission’s health division, told legislators on Tuesday […]