DISINFO: EU prohibits countries from saving its citizens from COVID-19
SUMMARY
While it became clear last spring that the European Union was unable to effectively respond to the Coronavirus pandemic, against the background of selfishness and the struggle of member states over providing the necessary masks to protect their own citizens, today, for the purpose of boosting its unity with an empty show, the EU is prohibiting the usage of the vaccine from “enemy” in order to save its citizens.
RESPONSE
This claim exploits the coronavirus pandemic to push a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the EU's alleged disintegration and a speculative claim about EU leaving countries to fight the virus by themselves, along with information related to the possible Sputnik V vaccine.
The European Commission is already coordinating a common European response to the COVID-19 crisis and is supporting the Member States in tackling the pandemic and in mitigating its economic consequences.
The European Commission has adopted a comprehensive economic response to the outbreak, applied the full flexibility of the EU fiscal rules, has revised its State Aid rules and proposed to set up a EUR 37 billion Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative to provide liquidity to small businesses and the health care sector.
To support scientific research into the COVID-19, the European Commission earmarked 47.5 million EUR for shortlisted research projects that can improve epidemiology and public health, including preparedness and response to outbreaks. The EU has also created the first-ever stockpile of medical equipment.
At the same time, the European Commission has approved a €50 million aid scheme to support the production and supply of medical devices.
Regarding the vaccine from “the enemy”, this is a recurring disinformation narrative on the Sputnik V vaccine portraying EU countries as Russophobic.
The EU does not prohibit the usage of the potential “Sputnik-V” vaccine just because it is Russian.
In general, The Sputnik-V vaccine has been met with international scepticism, especially that it hasn’t completed large trials to test its safety and efficacy, and rolling out an inadequately vetted vaccine could endanger people who receive it.
The World Health Organisation expressed some reservations about the procedure followed by Russia initiating talks with Russian authorities about undertaking a review of the vaccine but refusing to endorse it right away.
See similar disinformation cases alleging that Italy is without help from "hypocritical EU" and that the EU left Italy face to face with an invisible and terrible enemy, or that ugly commercial interests are behind the criticism of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine or that WHO confirms the "Sputnik-V" vaccine is safe and effective.
This disinformation message appeared in the same article as the claim that It’s better for Ukrainians to die than to be saved by cheap Russian vaccine.