EUR PE Diplomatic IRANIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Looming uncertainties… concerns…dangers COCAINE AND CASTANETS Spain’s rôle in the international drugs trade STRANGER THAN (SCIENCE) FICTION The unpredicted shrinking 2021 April of Ursula von der Leyen E 3 BRUSSELS - PARIS - GENEVA - MONACO EUROPEDIPLOMATIC IN THIS ISSUE n JABS, JOBS, AND JACKASSES The few successes and many failures of the EU Covid vaccination programme .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................p.5 n STRANGER THAN (SCIENCE) FICTION 5 The unpredicted shrinking of Ursula von der Leyen .......................................................................p.12 n IRANIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Looming uncertainties…concerns…dangers ......................................................................................................... p.18 n COCAINE AND CASTANETS 12 Spain’s rôle in the international drugs trade .................................................................................................p.28 n 20,000 TONNES UNDER THE SEA The growing use of narco-submarines in Europe .............................................................................. p.35 n NEWS IN BRIEF ....................................................................................................................................................................................................p.40 35 n POISONED ENTRAILS How Russian mischief interferes in European affairs ....................................................................p.46 n WOMEN IN EUROPE Europe still has a long way to go before reaching gender equality ..................p.53 53 n UK SPACE AGENCY Launching of a multi-million pound drive to design hospital of the future ......p.57 n ONLINE VACCINE SCAMS Interpol and homeland security investigations issue public warning .........p. 59 59 n Books Our selection ......................................................................................................................................................................................p. 62 “EUROPE DIPLOMATIC MAGAZINE” is characterized by a very open editorial line that allows it to capture all the themes EUR PE that affect directly or indirectly the European political, economic, social and security issues. Whether piracy in the Gulf of Aden Diplomatic and its threats to the global economy, articles about political leaders, geostrategic situations or technological developments affecting our civilization, Europe Diplomatic Magazine strives to work in comparing opinions and providing an objective magazine analysis based on extensive research. For a wide audience composed of both members of the diplomatic corps, lobbyists, international officials or academics, the magazine gives everyone the necessary and useful information about all topics that make up our daily lives. Covering sensitive issues such as nuclear, the rise of Islamism and energy dependence, the magazine opens its pages to recognized specialists who would like to express first order and exclusive information. But Europe Diplomatic Magazine is not only a source of information on recent topics. It is also addressing older facts with deep thought fur further analysis. Whether it’s news, security, diplomacy, technology, energy, terrorism, European affairs, no subject is treated superficially. Europe Diplomatic Magazine is an independent media, conveying balanced ideas of openness and analysis based on almost 30 years of experience in the journalistic world. Visit our site and please give us your comments: https://europe-diplomatic.eu/ [email protected] 3 EUROPEDIPLOMATIC Nikola Hendrickx 4 EUROPEDIPLOMATIC © Europa.eu JABS, JOBS, AND JACKASSES The few successes and many failures of the EU Covid vaccination programme Short of leading the entire population into a giant mixing machine run by demons, or accidentally setting off a thermo-nuclear device, it’s hard to imagine how the European Commission could have made a bigger mess of the COVID-19 vaccination programme. It would almost be funny, if it wasn’t so tragic. Just when nationalist sentiments are threatening to tear the European Union apart, the European Commission announces a whole series of ill-thought-out ideas that could hardly have been better designed to encourage others to think in a similar way. not in the EU from getting a dose of the Meanwhile, the member states have vaccine. This must be an absolute gift to fallen to squabbling over who gets what. the anti-EU campaigners of the UK (the The Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian government, for instance) whose own Kurz, for instance, has threatened to stop vaccination programme has been so the Union from buying any extra doses successful. of the Pfizer vaccine unless his country gets a bigger share of them, and has begun negotiations with Russia to buy their vaccine. © European Union © European Certainly, the so-called Sputnik V Jacques Delors vaccine seems to have cleared any acques Delors must be weeping regulatory hurdles. The covid-19 vaccine with frustration at the way the developed by the Gamaleya Research Commission over which he presided Institute, part of the Russian Ministry J of Health, has an efficacy of 91.6%, so successfully from 1985 to 1995 has according to interim results from a phase mishandled the pandemic and the 3 trial. According to the UK’s publication untidy way in which it has sought to for doctors, the highly-respected British vaccinate its citizens. Not only that, but it © Sputnikvaccine Sputnik V vaccine at the Gamaleya Medical Journal (BMJ), “The Gam- seems to have decided to prevent anyone Research Institute COVID-Vac, also known as Sputnik V, 5 EUROPEDIPLOMATIC was tested at 25 hospitals and polyclinics In another sign of panicky decision in Moscow between 7 September and making, the Commission even 24 November 2020. Just under 15,000 suspended use of the AstraZeneca volunteers received the vaccine (of vaccine out of a fear that it caused blood whom 1,611 were aged 60 or over) and clots. It’s still unclear if the vaccine 4,902 received the placebo (vaccine causes the clots, but in Britain, seven buffer composition).” So Austria should people died of blood clots following be OK there, even if the EU isn’t. vaccination, although no-one knows if that’s cause and effect or coincidence. But while Britain has emerged as the most At the time of writing, eleven people successful in vaccination terms, which have been reported to have developed Brexit fans say is due to them being outside blood clots out of the 30-million the EU, the UK faces the problem of its © Europa.eu vaccinated. That’s a risk percentage self-imposed isolation and the difficulty European Council President Charles Michel of 0.00003666666 recurring. The at a vaccination centre in Ukraine of having to rely on overseas production Medicines and Healthcare Products of more doses. Importing anything into Regulatory Agency (MHPRA), The virus pandemic? With nobody certain Britain now is a bureaucratic nightmare, which way to jump and with some leaving both exporters and importers World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) countries talking about leaving the drowning in a sea of multi-lingual paper Union anyway and following the UK no-one has needed for more than 40 have said that the benefits outweigh the out into the friendless wilderness, years. That’s why the UK has decided to dangers. However, Germany suspended perhaps leaders less inclined to leave produce the American Novavax NVX- use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for are tending towards being over- CoV2373 Vaccine at a factory in the UK. people under 60. Different countries cautious. They shouldn’t be, because It is said to be 83% effective, even against have imposed different rules but the highly-contagious UK variant. As the overall some dozen European countries the nationalist politicians have been company says on its website: “Our vaccine introduced bans or restrictions, despite toning down their anti-EU rhetoric candidates are genetically engineered official EMA advice. during the pandemic. using three-dimensional nanostructures MANY PATHS, NO MAP The SARS-CoV-2 virus, of course, of recombinant proteins critical to disease is in no way hesitant. As soon as it pathogenesis.” The European Union and its member enters the human lung, it latches onto states are rich, resourceful, scientifically an angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 advanced and blessed with generally (ACE2) receptor, at which point a good health care systems. How can protease enzyme cuts off the spike of that suave togetherness have been the virus – it is surrounded by such shattered by something that is only spikes, which is what makes it look 60 to 200 nanometres in diameter? like a sea mine – and this releases the After all, a human hair is A human fusion machinery, which is somewhat hair is around 75,000 nanometres spring-loaded within the spike. The (nm) in diameter. Could it be that the virus and lung cell membranes then EU is still jittery over other factors, fuse so that the RNA of the virus can not least the world economy and the pour into the cell. Inside, it presents © Astrazeneca frightening cost of the COVID-19 round about two dozen genes to the Astra Zeneca vaccine manufacturing All the vaccines in circulation are different in one way or another. I had the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine (British recipients were not