BRUSSELS, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The European Commission has proposed extending the period of its scheme for monitoring and potentially limiting exports of COVID-19 vaccines from the bloc, a European Commission spokesperson told Reuters on Monday.

If not prolonged, the scheme would expire this week. It is unclear whether the 27 EU states will support the proposal, which requires a qualified majority to be adopted. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Hugh Lawson)