The European Commission has said it has launched legal action against AstraZeneca for not respecting its contract for the supply of Covid-19 vaccines and for not having a "reliable" plan to ensure timely deliveries.
"The Commission has started last Friday a legal action against AstraZeneca," the spokesman told a news conference, noting all 27 EU states backed the move. The Commission discussed the matter at a meeting of EU ambassadors last week, during which the majority of EU countries said they would support suing the company on the grounds that it massively under-delivered pledged coronavirus vaccine doses to the bloc.
AstraZeneca admitted in January it could not ship to the EU the number of doses initially anticipated. By the end of the first quarter, the company delivered just 30 million doses to EU countries, rather than the 100m doses pledged in its EU contract.The company has projected it will deliver roughly 70m doses by the end of the second quarter of this year, when it was supposed to have delivered the entire 300m doses secured in the EU contract.
Pathetic. Meanwhile Netherlands reported by Telegraph to have 11 million doses, which are unused. EU given Oxford vaccine at cost price and E U contract states deadlines on ‘Reasonablebest efforts’ terms. VDL out of her depth.
I wonder age cohort 60 to 69 who sign for AstraZeneca under threat of being put to the back of the queue is it a legal consent. I thought consent under coercion was illegal if you can prove it. We have proof from Vardkar & Coveney & HSE
This will be an interesting confirmation of the EU's negotiating failure that cost thousands of lives in its member countries. Time for Eirexit! Irexit