After Brexit, the COVID crisis was seen by the EU commission as well as the new EU president as a way to prove the value of the EU. As a consequence, the EU im

After Brexit, the COVID crisis was seen by the EU commission as well as the new EU president as a way to prove the value of the EU. As a consequence, the EU imposed that the commission would lead the vaccine acquisition negociation. The plan was simple: prevent countries from talking to the labs, get a good deal on the vaccines because you represent a huge market, and then use that victory to justify the EU existence/need after the Brexit blow. Of course that plan did not materialize, the EU "great deal" that was announced by an overly confident Ursula von der Leyen was just smoke and mirrors, and now that the reality is hitting, the EU tries to do everything in it's power - as an aferthought - to do some damage control. And it's not pretty.