4 ms·
The UK Government haven't yet made any specific statement about the vaccine export ban yet, have they? The only statement has been about the Northern Island bo
by DrBazza 6y ago
The UK Government haven't yet made any specific statement about the vaccine export ban yet, have they? The only statement has been about the Northern Island border.
> and the UK somehow being blamed for a contractual dispute between the EU and AstraZeneca
Agreed. The only "people" that seem to be blaming the UK Gov are the media.
> Even if the UK was somehow being duplicitous here,
The AZ-UK contract will say similar things to the EU contract, and AZ are upholding their part of the contract at the moment, delivering 'best reasonable efforts', and for all countries they've signed with. They're behind on deliveries for the UK as well. The UK signed commercial contracts with AZ, Pfizer and so on, as you would normally do.
One of the problems is that the EU contract (and others, presumably) just isn't worded specifically enough. VdL and the EU are choosing to read 'best reasonable efforts' to mean different things [0], when in contract law it has a very specific and well understood meaning. As a result, VdL does not want to respect the queue of nations that have ordered before the EU that have also signed similar contracts to which AZ has similar, if not identical, contractual obligations.
If this goes to the ECJ (?), AZ vs EU, it would be surprising, and worrying if the ECJ ruled in favour of the EU. Many companies would be reluctant to sign future contracts with the EU if they thought the EU would just ride roughshod over them.
I recall reading that the supply of lipids (I'm probably wrong, I can't find the link) for the vaccine come from the UK, so if that's true, I really hope for everyone's sake, it doesn't turn into a pathetic tit-for-tat blocking of exports.
[0] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-europe-astrazneca/astrazeneca-contract-at-heart-of-row-includes-uk-as-best-effort-base-for-output-to-eu-idUSKBN29Y1E2 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-europe...