WTO DG says 'disappointed' in EU vaccine export restrictions
"While we understand the politics of what they are doing - I have said openly I am disappointed, particularly in the fact that they extended it from March," Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said at a WTO online event, saying export restrictions must be temporary
FILE PHOTO: A logo is pictured on the World Trade Organization headquarters (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland, March 4, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
The director-general of the World Trade Organization said on Tuesday she was disappointed in the European Union's export authorisation scheme for Covid-19 vaccines, saying that she was talking to them about this measure.
"While we understand the politics of what they are doing - I have said openly I am disappointed, particularly in the fact that they extended it from March," Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said at a WTO online event, saying export restrictions must be temporary.
Under the scheme, which is to be extended through June, companies must get an authorisation before exporting Covid-19 shots, and may have export requests denied if they do not respect their supply commitments with the EU.
