EU leaders have given their qualified support to further restrictions on Covid-19 vaccines being exported out of the EU, in order to improve security of supply for EU citizens.
In a statement following an informal summit, EU leaders acknowledged the need for transparency when it came to the export of vaccines, as well as of the use of an export authorisation scheme.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who this week opposed any ban on vaccine exports, said the EU needed leverage to ensure that contracts with pharmaceutical companies were being fulfilled, and that the EU had a safety net to ensure it had sufficient vaccines for its own population.