The European Union is finalizing emergency legislation giving it broad powers to curb exports for the next six weeks from Covid-19 vaccines manufactured in the bloc.
Supply shortages in the EU have created a political maelstrom amid a rising third wave. The new rules will make it harder for pharmaceutical companies producing Covid-19 vaccines in the EU to export them and may disrupt supply to Britain.
The EU has been mainly in dispute with AstraZeneca since it drastically cut its supply; the company is the main target of the new rules. The legislation, which could block the export of millions of doses from E.U. ports, could also affect the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.