The European Commission will launch a second legal case against AstraZeneca on Tuesday over delays in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines.
This is reported by Reuters.
The move is mostly procedural after the first case was filed in April, an official familiar with the case said, adding, however, that this new legal action would allow the EU to seek possible financial sanctions.
“Tomorrow, the case on the merits against AstraZeneca will be transferred to the Belgian court,” said a representative of the European Commission.
The first lawsuit concerned a request for faster deliveries, while the new one will deal with the substance of the case.
AstraZeneca drew criticism from the EU in January when it said it would not be able to deliver the number of doses to the EU that was previously expected.
By the end of the first quarter, the company delivered 30 million doses to the EU countries instead of the 100 million doses stipulated in the contract with the EU. The shortage has seriously complicated vaccination campaigns in EU countries.
The company predicted that it would deliver approximately 70 million doses to the EU by the end of the second quarter, while it was expected to deliver 300 million doses stipulated in the contract with the EU.
