President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen
Thierry Monasse | Getty Images News | Getty Images
LONDON – The European Union is preparing legal action against AstraZeneca for deficiencies in the deliveries of its coronavirus vaccine, according to four people familiar with the matter.
The EU and the pharmaceutical giant have been at odds on several occasions this year. Anglo-Swedish firm AstraZeneca said it could not administer as many vaccines as the block had, both during the first quarter and the second quarter. This has delayed the launch of Covid-19 vaccines in all 27 EU nations.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, told the 27 European ambassadors on Wednesday that it was studying legal action against AstraZeneca over these delivery issues, four EU officials who did not want to be appointed because of the sensitivity of the issue , he told CNBC on Thursday. Politico first reported on the commission’s plan Wednesday afternoon.
“The commission wants to move forward quickly. It’s a matter of days,” one official told CNBC over the phone, adding that there was “great support” from ambassadors for the lawsuit.
The same official explained that there were only “a few legal issues” that were being examined before the process continued.
A second official said the commission is taking this step because it wants to make sure upcoming deliveries meet expectations.
When contacted by CNBC on Thursday, a European Commission spokesman said: “The important thing is to ensure the delivery of a sufficient number of doses in accordance with the company’s previous commitments.”
“Together with the member states, we are studying all the options to make this happen,” the spokesman himself said, without confirming or denying that legal action was being taken.
In March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her disappointment with AstraZeneca during a press conference, saying that “unfortunately, AstraZeneca has produced little and has not delivered. And that, of course, slowed down the vaccination campaign “.
At the time, von der Leyen said the block expected 70 million doses of the firm in the second quarter, below the 180 million initially planned.
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot had told EU lawmakers in February that low yields at EU production plants were causing delays.
A medical worker has an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine vial at a vaccination center, amid the outbreak of coronavirus disease, in Ronquieres, Belgium, on April 6, 2021.
Yves Herman | Reuters