Ep 186, presented by Equinor: Vaccine export fiasco — Von der Leyen's line — Belgian virologist

Brussels Playbook Podcast

POLITICO

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.4 • 204 Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2021

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

POLITICO trade reporter Jakob Hanke Vela talks us through how the Commission's export control scheme became more controversial as it evolved, culminating in a plan to override part of the Brexit deal meant to preserve peace on the island of Ireland. The Commission was swiftly forced to drop that element after uproar in Dublin, Belfast, London and Brussels. Jakob is joined by podcast regulars Andrew Gray, Rym Momtaz and Matthew Karnitschnig to debate the impact of the debacle on Ursula von der Leyen's standing and on the EU's reputation. We hear directly from von der Leyen on the episode, speaking at a roundtable with POLITICO's David M. Herszenhorn and other reporters. Our special guest is virologist Steven Van Gucht, spokesperson for Belgium's COVID-19 crisis center, which advises the federal government. In conversation with POLITICO's Sarah Wheaton, he lays out Belgium's timeline for vaccination, reveals his biggest fears about the virus ... and addresses the all-important question of when haircuts might be allowed again. Just one recommendation to help you through lockdown this week: our new POLITICO podcast, Westminster Insider, hosted by Jack Blanchard. We're also keen to hear your tips — drop us a line at podcast@politico.eu! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	EU Confidential gets started right after this.
0:04.3	Today's episode is presented by Equinole.
0:07.5	Evolving into a broad energy company,
0:09.8	harvesting power from the strong winds out at sea
0:12.1	is one of our solutions for the European energy transition.
0:16.0	If we open up a sector, we need to do it for the coming hundred years
0:20.1	and not for the coming month.
0:21.7	February and March will be still two very difficult months.
0:25.4	Personally, I'm not afraid about new variants of the virus.
0:28.5	The biggest risk is relaxing measures too soon.
0:32.5	Welcome to EU Confidential.
0:34.6	I'm Andrew Gray, Politico's EU editor in Brussels. And you just heard from
0:39.1	Stephen Van Hucht. He's a virologist and spokesman for Belgium's COVID-19 crisis centre.
0:45.6	And you'll hear more from him later in the podcast. It's a must-listen interview if you live in
0:50.6	Belgium and want to know when you'll get a vaccine, or even, and I'm declaring
0:54.9	a strong personal interest here when you might be able to get a haircut. But even if you don't
1:00.7	live here in Brussels, it still gives a very interesting insight into what virologists are saying
1:06.2	to governments and what's keeping them awake at night. And there's been plenty on the European political front
1:12.4	to keep us awake at night, including lots of controversy
1:15.7	over the EU's vaccine strategy and the role of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
1:21.8	You'll hear directly from her later in the show.
1:24.8	But first, let's get to our podcast panel.
	...

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