After raising the tone against AstraZeneca, the European Union won the case.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Sunday, January 31, that AstraZeneca would deliver to the European Union nine million more doses than expected of its vaccine against Covid-19 in the first quarter, i.e. 40 million doses in total, a figure up 30%.
The company, which has been under the wrath of European leaders for several days because of major production delays, "will start deliveries a week earlier than expected" and "will also expand its manufacturing capacity in Europe," wrote Ursula von der Leyen on Twitter.
Step forward on vaccines. @ AstraZeneca will deliver 9 million additional doses in the first quarter (40 million in total) compared to last week's offer & will start deliveries one week earlier than scheduled.
The company will also expand its manufacturing capacity in Europe.
- Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 31, 2021
The leader, who spoke on Sunday with the CEOs of companies with which the EU has contracted for vaccines, also maintained in an interview with the German channel ZDF the objective of the EU to vaccinate 70% of adults by "the end of summer".
AstraZeneca, whose vaccine was authorized on the European market on Friday, had announced a three-quarter reduction in deliveries promised to the EU in the first quarter.
To explain its delays in deliveries to the EU, AstraZeneca had argued of a "drop in yield" on a European manufacturing site.
An explanation deemed "unsatisfactory" by the Commission, which called for an inspection of the Belgian industrial site concerned, managed by a subcontractor of the group, last Thursday.
Showdown between UK and EU
In an interview with certain media, the CEO of AstraZeneca, the French Pascal Soriot, had however assured to have to reserve to the British the production of factories in the United Kingdom.
An argument strongly contested by Brussels: the use of British factories to supply the EU "is not an option, it is a contractual obligation", insisted a European official.
>> To read also: AstraZeneca vaccine: the doses of discord
For its part, Berlin threatened Sunday with legal action against laboratories not "respecting their obligations" to deliver vaccines to the EU.
AstraZeneca signed in August a contract with Brussels for a pre-order of 400 million doses in total, which was published by the Commission, but cut many passages deemed "confidential".
The company "pledged to make all reasonable efforts to build capacity to produce 300 million doses of the vaccine, without profit or loss," the text said, citing the option. for the EU to order 100 million additional doses.
With AFP
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