Poland invoked the trouble clause and knew right away that the European Commission and primary vaccine maker Pfizer would have legal reprimands for their refusing to pay for and receive additional coronavirus vaccines. Poland has a population of 38 million of which about half are fully vaccinated. The European Commission ordered the coronavirus vaccine for Poland and Poland has now refused them. Poland explains that it has 25 million unused doses and that the additional doses ordered were up to 70 million. About 59% of all Polish people received a single dose of the vaccination.
“We’re very disappointed by the attitude of the Commission and the makers,” Niedzielski added, saying Poland had tried in vain to spread out the shipments over a few years.
The health minister also stressed that the cost involved at a time when Poland is in a tight situation financially. The spokesman for the European Commission stated Tuesday that they were aware of the situation. Here, regardless of the fact that these COVID-19 vaccinations are not being used and that Poland did not want them, the European Commission didn’t seem very sympathetic.
“Member states are bound by their contractual obligations but the commission, of course, understands the difficult position that Poland is in and will continue to facilitate discussion between the Polish government and the company in order to find a pragmatic solution,” Stefan De Keersmaecker told reporters.
As a sovereign nation Poland should have the right to refuse vaccinations that it’s not using especially when they can’t financially afford them. The tax people of Poland probably prefers that their money go towards things they’re actually using like school building funds, teacher pay, road funds, or anything else that would actually build civil society instead of wasting money.
The fact that the European Commission can order 70 million doses of the vaccination which isn’t even being used on behalf of Poland means that Poland is not a sovereign nation. It is owned by the European Commission because they decide what Poland does with its money, its people, and their health. I understand that people need to work together for the common good.
However, there is a reason we have independent states, so that people can work together for the common good in the way that they want to and we all have freedom of choice then. Poland’s freedom of choice is being taken by the European Commission. The people of Poland are being forced to buy something that they don’t even need because no one is using it.
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This all benefits one company, an American company, Pfizer incorporated. Shouldn’t it be illegal to force a country to take a specific vaccine at a specific price and a specific number to the benefit of only one company? What if Poland wanted to use the vaccine that China is using at a cheaper price? Why can’t Poland decide that that’s the vaccine they would prefer to use for their population? What if Russia wanted to give the Sputnik vaccine to Poland as a gift to make sure that their population is safe since they live so close to each other, and Poland said sure thanks we can’t afford a vaccine anyway? How would the European Commission react to that? Their reaction would say a lot about what they think they have the right to do when it comes to sovereign countries.