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* EU under fire over slow vaccine rollout, border checks
issue
* Von der Leyen says Commission has been 'quick on its feet'
* Sees easing of supply problems as production ramps up
* Says 'marathon' just started, 'we'll make it to finishing
line'
By Philip Blenkinsop
BRUSSELS, Feb 2 (Reuters) - EU chief executive Ursula von
der Leyen vigorously defended the European Commission's record
on vaccines on Tuesday and described a proposal that would have
set up border checks on the island of Ireland as the sort of
slip made when in a hurry.
In interviews with newspapers across Europe, the European
Commission president sought to defuse mounting criticism over
the EU's slow start to COVID-19 vaccinations and outrage over a
decision, swiftly reversed, to invoke Article 16 of the Northern
Ireland protocol.
Von der Leyen, who has tweeted but not appeared in public
since the bloc mandated that vaccine exports require clearance,
was asked by the Irish Times if she would apologise.
The Commission chief replied that she regretted that Article
16 was in a "provisional version" of the decision, but said the
EU executive had been "quick on its feet" to find another
solution.
In similar comments to France's Le Monde she said: "When you
take urgent decisions - in this year of crisis, the Commission
has taken almost 900 - there is always a risk of missing
something."
Von der Leyen has been called to face questioning on the
saga by the European Parliament next week, and the Commission is
due to explain itself before EU ambassadors on Wednesday.
SUPPLY SHORTAGES
The vaccine crisis, which came to a head with EU export
controls unveiled on Friday, came after news that AstraZeneca
would cut its supply of vaccines to the bloc until March
by 60% due to production problems.
Even with the addition of an extra 9 million doses that von
der Leyen announced on Sunday, the shortfall is at least 50%.
EU countries have so far given first doses to about 3% of
their populations, compared with 9% for the United States and
14% for Britain, according to Our World in Data.
Von der Leyen said the supply problems should ease in the
second quarter of 2021, with more production capacity for
BioNTech/Pfizer and other potential approvals
of vaccines, including from Johnson & Johnson.
The European Medicines Agency has moved more slowly than
authorities elsewhere, which adopted emergency approval
procedures. EU countries had agreed, she said, on a different
approach, which meant it took three to four weeks longer.
The Commission has ordered 2.3 billion doses from six
producers, far more than the bloc requires. Production, though,
was an enormous challenge, with clear teething problems.
"I see it as a marathon in which we have only covered the
first kilometres. We need fitness and nerves of steel, but I'm
confident we'll make it to the finish line," she told Dutch
newspaper De Volkskrant.
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; additional reporting by John
Chalmers
Editing by Gareth Jones)
