Joe Biden speaks at heated EU summit on vaccines

Joe Biden was the first US president to speak at a European summit since Barack Obama. EU leaders are relieved that the US has recommitted itself to the transatlantic partnership.
But the global race for vaccines was the most important issue at this summit. And even though the chance to talk about it with Joe Biden was welcomed by all, some also had criticism. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU opposed vaccine protectionism but still wanted to make sure that the EU’s own population gets the much needed shots as soon as possible.
Vaccination rollout has been slow in Europe. And leaders are frustrated vaccine doses produced in the EU do not always stay here. That’s why stricter rules on EU exports could be introduced. At the same time, all EU leaders agreed to further ramp up production facilities within the EU.