It looked so good.

Contract in August between the EU and Oxford Astra Zeneca for the delivery of 400 million doses to Europe in early 2021. That is, if the vaccine proved to work.

On Friday, the EU is expected to approve Astra Zeneca's vaccine, a company that has promised the equivalent of SEK 3.4 billion in support of securing production capacity and securing deliveries to all 27 EU member states.

The irritation grows into anger

But a few days ago, just a couple of weeks before the delivery date, the EU was informed that Astra Zeneca will not be able to deliver as planned.

The deliveries that the company is now talking about correspond to only a quarter of the promised doses.

The manufacturer blames production problems on one of its suppliers, in Belgium.

At the same time, it becomes clear that Astra Zeneca continues to deliver two million doses per week to the UK, where the largest production facility is located. 

The irritation in the EU is growing into outright anger.

Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides accuses Astra Zeneca of breach of contract and of acting reprehensibly from a societal and moral point of view.

Legal loophole

Astra Zeneca believes that the EU delayed signing an agreement and that the UK signed three months before the EU.

And then they point to what looks like a legal loophole, that they only promised to do "as best they can" to carry out the order for 100 million doses to the EU during the first three months of the year.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson says he does not want to get involved in the fight but does not do anything to help the EU.

In the global and unequal battle over vaccine doses, the EU right now looks like a loser.

In the EU so far, only 2 percent of the population has been vaccinated, compared to just over 10 percent in the UK.

Given that 70% of people vaccinated are needed to deal with the spread of the virus, according to health experts, the patience of EU citizens is now being tested.

And the European Commission, which wanted to show muscle, seems to have gone on a rampage.