EU Commission’s embattled president faces tough challenge over Covid vaccines

The EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has admitted that Europe has made mistakes over its vaccine strategy, amid criticism of the slow rollout across the continent.

She said the EU had been too late to authorise vaccines, but insisted that acting as a united bloc had been the right thing to do.

The vaccine row has become something of a test for Ms von der Leyen, a former German defence minister, born in Brussels, who’s steered the EU through the twin storms of Brexit and the pandemic.