Both economist Olivier Delamarche and former MEP Bernard Monot believe Brussels’ appalling attempt to coordinate a pan-European vaccine rollout highlights its weaknesses. The pair believe that had EU countries followed the UK’s blueprint and acted in their own national interests – their respective vaccine rollouts would have operated much faster and more effectively.
Mr Delamarche believes the bloc’s structural weaknesses have been apparent since the 2008 financial crisis and sticking plaster efforts since have only prolonged its misery.
Speaking on RT France, he said: “Things didn’t work in the EU before the pandemic. We can’t blame Covid because things are not working in Europe.
“It has been like that since the beginning of the EU. Covid has only made it more obvious. Europe has been in serious trouble since 2008 because that crisis was never solved.
“The EU structure has been crumbling since and now it will collapse. We have more and more evidence as time passes that this institution is useless and expensive, so I don’t see the point in saving it.
READ MORE: UK orders EU to ‘stop bickering’ – end vaccine row NOW
Bernard Monot, a former MEP with France’s far-right National Front party, was equally scathing.
He told the TV channel: “The EU hasn’t been successful at all. I worked for five years in the European Parliament and I can tell you that the EU is a supranational institution that doesn’t do anything.
“It complicates the lives of European nations. The Europe that existed before the EU will still exist after the EU.
“What’s the added value in these negotiations with pharmaceutical companies? None. It has been extremely complicated.
“Regarding the recovery plan, it’s a coup d’etat from the European Commission. France is losing power over its own budget, but France doesn’t need financing from the EU. We have the Bank of France.
“We could do better and faster without the EU. Regarding the vaccine negotiations, we have seen that things are very slow, very expensive, when we could have negotiated with our French labs to produce a real vaccine.
“I don’t think we should expect anything from the EU. Each country must take care of its own destiny.
“We have the example of the UK and Israel. They have done it. They have been successful.
“Expecting an added value from EU technicians that haven’t been elected is nonsense.”
Additional reporting by Marta Ortega.
