EU Contract With AstraZeneca

Preferential supply was given to the UK because UK came up with the cash and signed up...four European countries including Germany could have signed at the same time but were asked by the Commission to subordinate to the EU collective buying programme...nothing wrong with that as such, but the Commission then spent three months arguing price and insisting on specific EU production sites ...sites which due to a filtration issue have failed to deliver the yield needed.
It's not a situation for any kind of nationalistic gloating, but when AZ are putting out a vaccine at not for profit, why try and get it lower when it's a fraction of the price of ie Pfizer/Biotech, it seems to be a childish assertion that group buying power is leverage on a not for profit company., the frustration caused Germany to break ranks and order 80m doses from Pfizer on its own account. The fact is that in a worldwide pandemic when everyone is short of vaccine, it's very much a sellers market...little room therefore for wasting time bargaining price or creating issues that lead to months of delay...just sign up and let them get on with it.
No doubt there'll be some kind of internal enquiry but at the moment the finger looks to be pointing at Ursula Vd Leyen...she was not regarded as being suitable for the job in Germany after a scandal over her handling of issues with the Bundeswehr, which culminated in the illegal deletion of all her phone records, the German Govt did not subsequently support her candidacy for President.

 

The irony is Astra Zeneca were not Oxford's first choice for a manufacturing partner, it was originally a US company who were dropped for fear of Trump's America first policy.

 

How can it be shared equitably, the UK paid for Oxford to design the vaccine....no EU money was spent, (although interestingly the US did make a significant grant) what would be the point of funding the vaccine development, signing immediately and funding the infrastructure costs for someone who hasn't laid a penny out or contributed to its development to come along months later and say that they have a legal claim to large amounts of the production. The yanks have a better claim morally bearing in mind they put several hundred million into the Oxford team.

 

That is why the term best efforts was inserted...AZ had a rock solid deal with the UK, signed and paid for. The EU cannot specify that a non EU country be treated as an EU country without UK agreement. AZ must supply it's initial contract to the UK and make it's best efforts then to supply the EU deal made three months later. I might be wrong but I haven't seen Merkel or Macron coming out in public to back the Commission's claim which seems significant.

 

I read the term that's included to mean completely the opposite to how it's now being used

AZ seem to be claiming that they meant they will try to use UK and EU stocks if they can and it turns out they can't.
The EU believe it means that AZ would try to use SOLELY UK and EU stocks unless they need more then will use them from elsewhere too.

Having read the key line in the contract it certainly reads like the EU's take on that line is how it was intended.

"AstraZeneca shall use it's best reasonable efforts to manufacture the vaccine at manufacturing sites located within the EU (including UK) and may manufacture the vaccine in none-EU facilities, if appropriate, to accelerate supply."

That doesn't read as they'll use reasonable efforts to let the EU use anything manufactured here but rather that they will use reasonable efforts to solely manufacture it here (EU and UK)

 

I can just imagine it....phone goes in number 10 at midnight....Carrie picks it up....it's for you Boris....ok dear...who is it?...it's Arlene Foster....Boris tries to slip past security and climb out of a window.

 

You clearly have some information that I've not seen so I take your point.

 

That reads to me as the word ‘may’ is the key word.
One side (EU)could argue it means AZ are allowed to source elsewhere if they needed, the other could say it means if they want(AZ) but is not compulsory.

 

you aren’t a “brexiteer” you literally put a cross in a box on a piece of paper.

 

Thank you for that Brush....I've been following it for some time in the European press where it has been a hot topic, I can't provide links to everything I've read but not bookmarked but criticism of the Commission's inactivity has been loud and clear since midsummer, particularly in Germany and Italy with disbelief in some quarters that they have wasted time trying to get the price down from European manufacturers who mostly pay their tax in Europe. It's possibly significant that leaders of the 27 have not gone out clearly backing the Commission's legal case, bearing in mind of course that AZ agreed to the contract being published. I'm reading that Michel Barnier ( not necessarily first on my Xmas card list, but undoubtedly one of the grown ups in the room) has given a very conciliatory statement in The Times ( unfortunately paywalled).
Der Spiegel headlined this which looks interesting...unfortunately paywalled

 

Not only have the EU backed down from invoking article 16 it would seem they have now also changed their minds re banning vaccine exports to the UK, thus completing the climb down.

 

Lockdown is helping but as is over eight million people already having their first vaccine. The line was his estimate and the dots is where we are, which looks like the vaccine is working even better than expected. Continuing on the same projection we should be down to 2000-3000 cases a day by the second half of March.

 

I agree totally, everyone should be made to watch the “social dilemma” on Netflix and wake up to the dangers of social media platforms. I intend to keep Facebook only for the sake of having the messenger app and I will never go on Twitter again, or TikTok. Spending any length of time away from them and you realise it’s not the real world and it’s a kind of collective Madness that people are hooked on.

 

If it protects the nhs from being overwhelmed and stops people in this country dying then that benefit outweighs the brotherhood of man imho. If we are merely reaping the benefits of foresightedness then there’s nothing to Dee guilty about.

 

I hate the tories but this is mental gymnastics beyond compare.

 

“Incidentally, only a crazy fool would seek to extrapolate months in advance on the strength of a linear trend“

 

Or just simple fact, unless you’re Nostradamus?

 

Good, if they’re wrong that’s exactly what should happen. UK Govt. please take note.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01...el-worker-tests-positive-in-perth-wa/13106968

Perth are in a five day lockdown after their first case in ten months. Even if we get every UK adult vaccinated who wants it we will still find cases even with border control and track and trace. Australia have been super careful and still find cases.