Germany Criticizes the EU Commission – Vaccine’s Side-Effect?! (I)

by Laura Lai/Comment

 A few days ago, after the acquittal of the former US President, Donald Trump, by the Senate, I was trying to write something – I was thinking. While I was thinking, I almost got shocked by what my eyes were seeing and what my hears were hearing because some politicians from the German government have spoken – they criticized the European Commission, run by the German Ursula van der Leyen, on the European vaccination strategy and border closure to avoid the spread of the mutant virus. The European Union has vaccinated a bit more than three percent, while countries outside the European Union seem to champion the vaccination: Israel (over 60 percent), the United Arab Emirates (over 38 percent), the United Kingdom (over 16 percent), the United States (over 10) and Serbia (over 7 percent). [1]

            The European Commission considered a correct attitude ‘to act in solidarity (…) and help less wealthy or smaller European states to get the vaccine’ first [2] – Sometimes, I surprise myself that I humanly agree with the European Commission. J But how well did the smaller European states actually do? According to the source BBC used, Malta is at 7.2 percent, Denmark – 5.1 percent, Cyprus – 2.9 percent, Austria – 2.5 percent, Luxemburg 2.1 percent, Bulgaria – 0.8 percent. From this list of small countries the only one that is ‘less wealthy’ is Bulgaria. My surprise was short and my disappointment deep to see a ‘small and less wealthy’ country like Bulgaria at 0.8 percent. Even if the Commission would have only referred to Malta, my disappointment is still deep because 7.2 percent is very far from what Israel or the Arab United Emirates have achieved.

After an invitation to solidarity that the Commission understands better than I do, its President, Mrs. von der Leyen, is in the mood for more metaphors – I love metaphors! She said that “[a] country can be a speedboat, the EU is more like a tanker”. If I have to choose between the two metaphors, I think I prefer a speedboat with essence, rather than a stuck tanker without essence facing the COVID hurricane – Which one do you prefer?

            In this European tanker that masters so far the pandemic mainly through the lockdown, a mutant virus is spreading killing more and killing quickly – This situation is becoming a horror movie with a tanker.

            The Austrian region of Tyrol and the Czech Republic (both neighboring countries of Germany) have a high infection rate with the mutant virus. Therefore, Germany decided to close the borders only with these two countries starting on Sunday, February 14^th, just in order to stop or to slow down the spread of the mutant virus. But they did this without informing the European Commission – I hope it is not considered a tragedy by the Commission, especially since it was humanly intended to prevent tragic life loss. And even if it will be considered a tragedy by the European Commission, I hope Germany and the Germans will be forgiven – In the end, it is the Germans who, through their taxes, support the European Commission.

            Mrs. van der Leyen got upset with this decision of Germany and the German Interior Minister, Honst Seehofer, got puzzled and declared:

 “We are fighting the mutated virus on the border with the Czech Republic and Austria. The EU Commission should support us and not put spokes in our wheels with cheap advice.” [3]

Seehofer criticized the Commission for its ‘enough mistakes when ordering vaccines in the last few months’ – an opinion shared also by the German Finance Minister and vice-chancellor, Olaf Scholz, [4] who considers the European vaccine strategy ‘a shit’ and a ‘disgrace’ – most probably in comparison to the efficiency he is used in Germany. [5] (to be continued)