AstraZeneca must deliver its contracted vaccines to the European Union before it can export doses elsewhere in the world, the European Commission announced after national leaders met to discuss Covid-19 on Thursday.
“Companies have to honour their contract to the European Union before they export to other regions in the world. This is of course the case with AstraZeneca,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said.
“I think it is clear for the company that first of all the company has to catch up, has to honour the contract it has with the European member states, before it can engage again in exporting.”
EU leaders expressed support for tightening controls on vaccine exports to allow permits be refused for batches being sent to countries with a higher vaccination rate in their population, or that are not exporting to the EU in turn.