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An EU official told AFP that AstraZeneca abruptly withdrew from the meeting, the third to be convened this week. This was seen as an escalation of a dispute over the delivery of vaccine doses.
However, shortly after, AstraZeneca issued a statement saying: “We can confirm that we will not withdraw, that we will attend a meeting with EU officials later today (Wednesday).”
It is not yet clear if AstraZeneca changed its decision to participate or if the EU information that the company would not participate was incorrect.
European Commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant told reporters that the situation with AstraZeneca executives was “evolving.”
“I cannot say if AstraZeneca will be represented,” he said, adding that some input from the company was expected during the meeting.
Public communication on this issue is getting tougher.
The European Commission requires AstraZeneca to comply with its contractual obligations regarding vaccine doses.
However, Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, said in an interview Tuesday that his company had only committed to “doing everything possible” to deliver the planned doses.
“We have not committed to the EU … We have no such commitment to Europe,” he said.
Soriot also said that former EU member UK, which is currently rapidly vaccinating AstraZeneca, had an advantage over the Community by signing its contract three months earlier, so it was time to rectify “failures” at the vaccine factories in the United Kingdom.
A senior EU official on Wednesday rejected Soriot’s arguments.
“We challenge many interviews [išsakytų] things, as well as the idea that factories in the UK are reserved for delivery to the UK. That is not true, “the official told AFP.
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