Amid major vaccination rollout delays, EU pressures companies to expedite deliveries

Europe's fight to secure COVID-19 vaccine supplies intensified today when the European Union warned drug companies such as AstraZeneca that it would use all legal means or even block exports unless they agreed to deliver shots as promised.

The EU, whose member states are far behind Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States in rolling out vaccines, is scrambling to get supplies just as the West's biggest drugmakers slow deliveries to the bloc due to production problems.

As vaccination centres in Germany, France and Spain cancelled or delayed appointments, the EU publicly rebuked Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca for failing to deliver and even asked if it could divert supplies from Britain.

European Council President Charles Michel said in a letter to four EU leaders that the EU should explore legal means to ensure supplies of vaccines it contracted to buy, if negotiations with companies over delayed deliveries are unsuccessful.

"If no satisfactory solution can be found, I believe we should explore all options and make use of all legal means and enforcement measures at our disposal under the Treaties," he said in the 27 January letter.

EU rules on monitoring and authorising exports of COVID-19 vaccines in the 27-nation bloc could lead to exports being blocked if they violated existing contracts between the vaccine maker and the EU, an EU official said.
The European Commission is to lay out the criteria under which such exports would be evaluated tomorrow.

Vaccine crunch

The global mass vaccination is stoking tensions across the world as big powers buy up doses in bulk and poorer nations try to collect whatever supplies are left.

Israel is by far the world leader on vaccine rollout per...

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