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A contract between Brussels and AstraZeneca for its COVID-19 vaccine contains binding orders, said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Your comments come in the middle of deepening row with the drug giant over supply shortages, as European regulators are poised to pass the coronavirus prick.
The EU has raised the threat of taking legal action to ensure COVID-19 Vaccine stocks if talks about delayed deliveries fail.
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EU pressures Astra Zeneca over deficit
Brussels has required doses to be shipped from UK plants to make up a shortfall, but Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said the government will not allow vaccines destined for Britain to go to the bloc.
On Friday, an EU source said that AstraZeneca has offered an additional eight million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the first quarter of this year.
The EU also plans to tighten surveillance of vaccine exports.
Brussels has faced criticism and growing public frustration over the slow deployment of coups like the UK, which is looking to approve his fourth vaccine, Has advanced.
To intensify the war of words, Ms Von der Leyen told German radio that the best effort delivery clause in the contract was only valid as long as it was not clear whether AstraZeneca could develop a vaccine.
He said the agreement contained very clear delivery quantities for December and the first three quarters of 2021, and also mentioned four production sites, two of which are in Britain.
“There are binding orders and the contract is very clear,” he said.
Meanwhile, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, has also said that the EU should consider legal means to guarantee the supply.
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Michel, who represents the 27 EU member states, said in a letter to various national leaders: “So far, the explanations provided by some pharmaceutical companies have not given us the guarantees we need.
“As the dialogue continues, I believe that the EU must take strong action to secure its vaccine supply and to demonstrate concretely that the protection of its citizens remains our top priority.
“In this regard, I welcome the commission’s proposal for an export transparency mechanism that could be an instrument to ensure that doses of vaccine originally destined for member states are not improperly exported.
Furthermore, I support all efforts to resolve the matter with the companies through dialogue and negotiation ”.
He added: “However, if a satisfactory solution cannot be found, I believe that we should explore all options and make use of all legal means and enforcement measures at our disposal.
“I believe this solution would demonstrate the strength and reliability of the EU in protecting the health of its citizens above all other considerations.”
Over three nights, Sky News will host a series of special programs examining the UK’s response to the pandemic.
Watch COVID Crisis: Learning the Lessons at 8 pm on February 9, 10, and 11.
