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Originally Posted by Mick
BREAKING: AstraZeneca walk out of talks with EU as tensions continue to grow between both sides regarding contract and supplies of Covid vaccines.
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The EU’s behaviour here is ridiculous. Everyone should read the La Repubblica article Andrew posted yesterday. It’s an interview with AstraZeneca’s CEO who is clearly frustrated by their game playing.
They signed up for the Oxford-AstraZenica vaccine three months after the UK but demanded supplies on the same basis as the UK. AZ told the European Commission this simply would not be possible because establishing new production capacity always throws up teething problems that take time to fix. The deal AZ signed with the EU was therefore on a “best effort” basis. As long as AZ has been working hard and in good faith to fulfil the order from the EU then the contract is being met.
If AZ people turned up in Brussels today to find out they were in for a carpeting for not doing something they always warned they couldn’t guarantee to do, then I’m not surprised they decided not to go through with the meeting.
The question now is whether the EU decides to try to interfere in export of vaccine products. Pascal Soriot (AZ CEO) has warned that due to the nature of its supply chains, all this will achieve will be to slow things down still further.