I meant in their media headlines, the bits people read when they are skimming through the topics without opening up the article itself
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Matchday
Time to move this thread
I realise you are a stranger to the facts - but here goes.
The EU contract with AZ is dated 27th Aug last year to supply 300 million doses. They paid 336m euros up front.* Seems like the EU secured a price at cost per dose plus containers, fill, finish, packing and delivery. Delivery is accepted as being from the first week of Jan 21 (although blacked out in the contract).
The contract says factories used should be within the EU and the UK (presumably why EU say the UK factory is part of the AZ supply chain).
It appears the EU believe AZ used their capacity to supply others who ordered later but willing to pay more.* Seems to them (the EU) supply contracted to the EU has gone to other countries - which is why they asked for a transparent supply audit.
Seems pretty simple.
Id be upset if I were the customer. Nothing to do with Brexit or any perceived failure of the EU (but will no doubt be spun to appear that way by Brexiteers desparate for any crumb of evidence to show they've done the right thing to leave).
Well I have to be big enough to admit that I was wrong when I thought yesterday that not even WanChai could defend the EU over this.
The EU did what it does best when it came to ordering vaccines, it dithered and delayed because of its creaking bureaucracy and need to please every member state. That resulted in it not ordering from AZ until the end of August, resulting in the company delaying the required investment in its AZ's EU based plants.
The EU also backed some wrong horses, such as the Sanofi vaccine, which fell at the second hurdle. Bad luck maybe, but one assumes that the EU bureaucrats were required to back that company, because its French and they knew that Macrion would have a tantrum if they didn't.
I've not read the AZ-EU contract, because I'm not a Belgian lawyer, but someone at the FT has and they say that AZ is right - the contract commits AZ to use its 'best reasonable efforts' to supply the EU order in the indicated timeframe. Whilst not a Belgian lawyer, I can say from experience that bodies who are confident of their legal position litiigate as opposed to grandstanding in the press as the EU has.
The really funny things is that until yesterday the EU was upset about the delay in delivering a vaccine that they hadn't got round to approving for use
The UK government had the foresight to stay out of the EU's tortoise impression. It ordered in May and fronted up cash to allow the UK based plants to set up and begin mass production. I've not seen the AZ-UK contract, but I know someone who has and it is my understanding that it guarantees primacy - that the UK's order will be filled ahead of other customers. That may seem 'unfair' in the play pen that the EU commision has seemingly become and it probably is in the context of a world where rich nations will get acces to the vaccine years before the poor, but that's what you get when you are willing to take the huge gamble that the UK government did.
The latest from the EU is a threat to seize AZ's intellectual property. I assume that is with the intention of setting up their own production. Expect three years of wrangling and under the table deals about which EU country they would produce their seized vaccine in and production starting around September 2027 as a conseqeunce.
And the side effect of all this is the new found enthusiasm within the EU to brief against the AZ vaccine. Just what we need when 'vaccine hesitancy' is becoming an obstacle to mass vaccination programmes. Does the petulance of the EU know no bounds in its desire to cut off its nose to hide its failings?
The EU only approved the drug yesterday for the whole of the EU members saying it was safe and worked. They wanted to roll it out equally amongst the 27 states at the same time so no one looks like it's being favoured. Germany I beleive haven't approved it and Macron has dissed it saying that it doesn't work for people over the age of 65. This means that the 2 big states left in the EU have put their people at further risk than they needed to and as I am a resident in France I am ferking fuming over it!
But had it on order since 27th Aug for delivery from 1st week Jan. Paid for it up front too. You dont need to be a Belgian lawyer to read and understand those terms in a contract.
I can only presume AZ took the order and pre payment in good faith. Bit disingenous to hide behind T&Q's at this late stage.