EU demands 120m AstraZeneca jabs by end of June as second legal case begins
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The European Union wants AstraZeneca to deliver at least 120m vaccine doses by the end of June, a lawyer representing the EU said today.
EU lawyer Rafael Jafferali spoke in a Belgian court as proceedings started in the second legal case against AstraZeneca over delayed supplies.
The pharma firm had originally agreed to deliver the EU 300m doses by the end of June but has so far delivered only 50m.
Officials close to the case said the lawsuit would allow the EU to seek possible financial penalties.
The level of compensation for what the EU deems a breach of contract by AstraZeneca will be decided at a later stage.
An AstraZeneca lawyer complained in court that the EU’s executive had launched a second case given that one had already been opened.
Jafferali said the firm should deliver 120m doses by the end of next month in the first formal request made so far by Brussels on the exact volume it wants to receive.
The bloc hopes to collect the remainder of the contracted 300m doses by September.
It was agreed at today’s proceedings that the first hearing in the new case would be on 24 September.
Another hearing has already been set for 26 May on the first legal case in which the EU is seeking an immediate acceleration in deliveries, with a verdict expected before the end of June.