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France and Germany have threatened to take legal action against the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca in the dispute over the shortage of coronavirus vaccine in the EU.
Talks between the European Commission and the vaccine supplier continue about the lack of supply, with Brussels raising concerns that doses have been diverted from plants in Belgium and Germany to the UK.
The EU wants AstraZeneca to supply doses from its two plants in Oxford and Staffordshire to solve production problems in Belgium, a proposal that is being resisted.
The company recently informed the commission that it could only administer 25% of the expected 100 million doses in the first quarter of this year.
Clément Beaune, France’s Europe minister, said the company could face “penalties or sanctions” if it is found to have prioritized British orders for the vaccine.
He said: “These are serious accusations, so they are not made lightly. I am not saying that there is a problem, but if there is a problem and that we have favored other destinations, other countries, for example the United Kingdom over us, then we will defend our interests ”.
“Our contracts must be respected. Respecting contracts are not moral commitments, they are legal commitments. Penalties or sanctions can be activated in all contracts. “
The EU has a 336 million contract with AstraZeneca to provide 400 million doses, of which a quarter expire before the end of March. Not all money has been paid to the company.
When asked if the EU could delay the payment to AstraZeneca, Beaune replied: “Yes, for example. Or by not ordering supplementary doses, or penalties everything provided by the contract.
“But if it is an industrial failure, that results in a reduction in deliveries for Europe and not for the others, that is a problem.
“I don’t want suspicions, [or] conspiracy, but we need clarity and transparency. At the moment, an investigation is in the process of being finalized to see precisely what was delivered in Europe and to the UK from factories that produce in Europe. If the British have been given a preference, that’s a problem. “
The EU has introduced an export authorization scheme to force vaccine suppliers to seek agreement on any dose that leaves the block. It has also demanded the disclosure of the last three months of exports.
Last week, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot had said he was contractually bound to provide the UK first with its 100 million doses of the vaccine produced in partnership with the University of Oxford.
The UK government signed a contract with AstraZeneca three months before the commission.
Peter Altmaier, Germany’s finance minister, told the German daily Die Welt that the EU would not accept the UK being favored over its member states.
“If it turns out that companies have not respected their obligations, we will have to decide the legal consequences,” he said. “No company can favor another country over the EU after the fact.”
The EU has suffered from a supply shortage after Pfizer also reported production problems at its Belgium plant. The latest figures show that the UK has vaccinated 13.1% of its adult population. The EU has injected a vaccine to 2.69% of its adult population with the launch of the first suspended blows in Paris and Madrid, among other regions.
