Belgian justice condemns AstraZeneca to deliver the EU doses

The issue of AstraZeneca's delivery delays has poisoned its relations with the EU for several months, against the backdrop of a race against time to vaccinate the population as much as possible.

REUTERS - Dado Ruvic

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

The European Union considered that the AstraZeneca laboratory was not delivering the doses of vaccine provided for in the contract signed last year.

Even if this is not exactly what the Commission had asked for, the Belgian court ruling apparently satisfies everyone.

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With our correspondent in Brussels, 

Pierre Benazet

For the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the decision of the Belgian judge confirms the opinion of the EU, namely that AstraZeneca has not fulfilled its part of the contract.

And it is true that the summary judge orders that the laboratory deliver 50 million doses of vaccine to the EU in three times with a strict schedule: 15 million doses for the end of July, 20 for the end of August and 15 for the end of September. .

The order even goes so far as to specify that the deadline is 9 am each time.

► To read also: Vaccines: the European Commission and AstraZeneca find themselves before the Belgian justice

The Commission is therefore claiming victory.

She believes that the interim decision will help speed up the EU's vaccination campaigns.

But it should still be stressed that it is three months late and 40 million doses less compared to what she had requested at the opening of 

proceedings

last month;

it demanded that AstraZeneca deliver by June 30 the entire balance of the 120 million doses ordered for the first quarter.

AstraZeneca is therefore satisfied with this order which recognizes, according to the laboratory, that it has made its best efforts and especially that it had indeed informed the European Commission last year that the United Kingdom would have priority over production. of its two factories in Great Britain.

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To read also: Vaccines: the European Commission and AstraZeneca find themselves before the Belgian justice

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• European Union

• Vaccines

• Coronavirus

• Justice