The European Commission has this week confirmed that it has commenced legal action against pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca for breaking its contract to supply Covid-19 vaccines to EU countries.
The bloc has also accused AstraZeneca of not having a “reliable” plan to ensure prompt dispatch of the jabs.
An EU spokesperson said: “The terms of the contract have not been respected. The [European] Commission has indeed started this legal action on its own behalf and on behalf of the 27 member states that are fully aligned in their support for this procedure.”
After a letter of notice was issued in March, legal proceedings began in earnest last Friday following discussions between the leaders of member countries.
Speaking in March, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said that the bloc was expecting 70 million doses of the vaccine to be delivered during the second quarter, a steep drop compared to the 180 million initially forecast.
The EU received approximately 30 million doses over the first three months of 2021, having originally anticipated the arrival of 120 million.
AstraZeneca denies all accusations of a breach of contract and has informed the EU that 70 million doses will be delivered by the end of June, although it will redouble its efforts in an attempt to make 300 million available.
Production issues at EU-based plants have been cited by AstraZeneca as blame factors.
Von der Leyen has hinted that the EU will not renew its vaccines contract with the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company, with Brussels declaring last week that a clause in the existing deal for a further 100 million doses would not be invoked.
In its responding statement, AstraZeneca said that it “regrets the European Commission's decision to take legal action”.
The statement adds: “Following an unprecedented year of scientific discovery, very complex negotiations, and manufacturing challenges, our company is about to deliver almost 50 million doses to European countries by the end of April, in line with our forecast.”
