Six EU leaders want talks on ‘uneven’ vax distribution

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his colleagues from the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Latvia and Croatia are demanding a European Union summit on what they claim is uneven distribution of vaccines in the bloc.

Their demand, set out in a letter to EU Council President Charles Michel, comes after Kurz complained Friday that some countries get more than others and that there's an opaque “bazaar” for doses.

The EU and countries including Germany rebuffed Kurz and said the distribution is running as designed among member states to increase the inoculation rate and to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.


An EU official confirmed Michel had received the letter from the leaders of the six nations. Michel, who chairs EU leaders' meetings, has already convened a summit for March 25 and 26, during which Covid-19 coordination will also be discussed, the official said. The bloc's efforts to inoculate 70% of its adult population by the end of the summer have been hampered by vaccine supply issues and a relatively slow rollout of shots.