London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 20, 2025

EU and AstraZeneca fail to resolve supply row despite crisis talks

EU and AstraZeneca fail to resolve supply row despite crisis talks

The EU insisted on Wednesday that the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company had breached a binding agreement over COVID-19 vaccine supplies, which AstraZeneca denies.

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and the European Commission have vowed to resolve a deepening row over the company's agreement to supply COVID-19 vaccines to the EU after the bloc accused AstraZeneca of breaching a "binding commitment".

It comes as after they met for crisis talks on Wednesday which both sides noted were "constructive", but which failed to heal the rift.

After the crunch talks, European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides took to Twitter on Wednesday evening to express "regret" that there was "continued lack of clarity on the delivery schedule and request a clear plan from AstraZeneca for the fast delivery of the quantity of vaccines that we reserved".

She added: "We will work with the company to find solutions and deliver vaccines rapidly for EU citizens".

Earlier, Kyriakides said the EU had provided investment in return for a "binding commitment" to produce vaccines prior to regulatory approval.

"Not being able to ensure manufacturing capacity is against the letter and the spirit of our agreement," she told a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.

AstraZeneca denies breaching the terms of its contract with the EU, following the revelation that planned supplies are to be cut by 60 per cent compared to levels it had agreed to aim for. It blames glitches in production.


The dispute highlights the tension over vaccine supplies as Europe struggles to roll out inoculation programmes against the coronavirus.

Separately, French firm Sanofi has pledged to help out with vaccine production by boosting distribution of vaccines made by rival producers Pfizer and BioNTech.

EU 'willing to publish AstraZeneca contract'


The EU is willing to publish its contract with AstraZeneca if the company agrees, said Euronews Brussels correspondent Shona Murray, quoting an EU source.

The source added that the EU expects the company to do the maximum possible to produce vaccine dosages as set out in the agreement. Plants outside the EU should be used to make up the shortfall.


Earlier, an EU official said speaking anonymously that the EU would “insist on them” coming back to the negotiating table to explain the delay in deliveries once the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine gets approved for use by the European Medicines Agency.

The Commission has briefed that it is looking for "more explicit" reasons from AstraZeneca to explain the reduced production, and that it wants the problem resolved now.

EU sign-up date allowed 'less time' to resolve problems


On Tuesday night, Astrazeneca's boss hit back at criticism from the European Union over plans that will see a huge shortfall in supplies, saying it had only signed up to make a "best effort" to deliver.

"Our contract is not a contractual commitment. It's a best effort. Basically we said we're going to try our best, but we can't guarantee we're going to succeed. In fact, getting there, we are a little bit delayed,” Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said.

The comments came in an interview given on Tuesday to LENA (Leading European Newspaper Alliance) and published in European newspapers.

Soriot added that the EU had ordered its supplies three months after the UK, allowing less time to resolve production issues.

He said there had been some start-up issues in the UK supply chain as well, but "the UK contract was signed three months before the EU contract. So with the UK, we had three more months to resolve the problems encountered".

The CEO also insisted that his company "certainly does not take vaccines from Europeans to sell them elsewhere at a profit".

The laboratory, partnered with the University of Oxford, has pledged not to make a profit on the sale of vaccines during the pandemic.

While the EU regulatory green light for this vaccine is expected on Friday, the British laboratory announced last week that deliveries would be lower than expected in the first quarter due to a "drop in production" at a European manufacturing site.

These relate to up to 400 million doses of the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine, which has the advantage of being cheaper to produce than its rivals, while being easier to store and transport.

Brussels raised its tone on Monday in its stand-off with AstraZeneca, deeming the delays in the delivery of its COVID-19 vaccine "unacceptable". The European Commission is now demanding "transparency" on exports outside the EU of doses produced in the bloc.

The slowdown in production has alarmed EU countries, already on edge after difficulties in the delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. It increases the pressure on the European Commission, which negotiated the pre-order contracts on behalf of the EU27.

Sanofi steps in


French drug maker Sanofi has stepped into help ease the panic over the lack of COVID-19 vaccinations in the EU. Sanofi will fill and pack vaccines made by rival producers Pfizer and BioNtech from July in an effort to help meet the huge demand.

The company will aim to help supply more than 100 million doses this year from its German plant in Frankfurt, CEO Paul Hudson told Le Figaro newspaper.

The French government has been pressing Sanofi to use its facilities to help make vaccines from its rivals, given high demand and problems with supplies of the few vaccines that are already available.

Last month, Sanofi and Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline said a vaccine they are jointly developing had showed an insufficient immune response in older people, delaying its launch to late this year.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen repeated on Tuesday a call for vaccine producers to deliver on schedule.

“Europe invested billions to help develop the world's first COVID-19 vaccines," she told the World Economic Forum's virtual event in Switzerland. “And now, the companies must deliver. They must honour their obligations."

The Commission has raised the possibility of strict export controls on doses made in the bloc in its demands for more information about vaccine production.

"Let me just emphasise the word that is important here is: transparency. This is not about blocking. This is about knowing - what the companies are exporting or will export to markets outside of the European Union," said Commission spokesman Eric Mamer.

The slow rollout of vaccine distribution in Europe led Hungary to order doses from Russia, the country's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told Euronews this week.

Meanwhile, the operation in Germany has drawn criticism from the Governor of Bavaria, Markus Soeder.

"I think that the populations of Europe are extremely stressed and tired by this pandemic which has lasted for a year. Governments are under pressure," AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot added in his interview, specifying that Europe "which represents 5 per cent of the world's population, will obtain 17 per cent of our production in February".

Soriot also affirmed in his interview that the laboratory is working "with the University of Oxford on a vaccine that will target" the South African variant of COVID-19, a virus more transmissible than the first version of the new coronavirus.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
×