The European Commission (EC) is considering taking British and Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to court to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines are supplied in sufficient quantities, several diplomatic sources said.
The European Union (EU) diplomat told the DPA the EC is seeking a court order because the company has not made a formal commitment to the planned deliveries.
The case will be heard in Belgian courts, another diplomatic source said.
Following several revisions to supply forecasts, AstraZeneca now plans to deliver 70 million doses of the vaccine in the second quarter of the year, said EU Health Commissioner Stella Kirjakidu, well below the initially expected 180 million.
The controversy over supply delays has been ongoing since January, when AstraZeneca said production problems were affecting EU supply chains.
As a first step, the EC launched a dispute settlement process with AstraZeneca in March.
“It is important that we provide a sufficient number of doses in line with the company’s initial commitment,” EC spokesman Stefan De Keresmaker said on Thursday.
“Together with the Member States, we are looking at every opportunity to make that happen,” he said, without commenting on possible litigation.
–
