4 ms·
I've posted this before but it's important. We did not screw them. We just wrote a decent contract, and they wrote an awful one. Essentially whether the UK con
by breakfastduck 6y ago
I've posted this before but it's important. We did not screw them. We just wrote a decent contract, and they wrote an awful one.
Essentially whether the UK contract has been fulfilled is pretty black and white where the EU one is significantly less so.
See below:
> "The level of specificity is partially due to the legal systems they're based on. The U.K. contract is written in English law, which will judge whether both parties delivered the goods based on the exact wording of the contract. The EU contract is written in Belgian law, which focuses on whether both parties tried their best to deliver the goods and acted in good faith.
It's these extra details that give the U.K. more leverage to ensure its contract is delivered effectively. While both contracts say all parties will make their “best reasonable effort” to deliver the vaccine, the U.K. government is clearer in asserting its oversight of the agreement.
This core difference, according to a lawyer familiar with the development of the U.K. text, can be chalked up to the fact that the contract sealed with London was written by people with significant experience of purchasing agreements, specifically drug-buying deals. The European Commission’s contract, by contrast, shows a lack of commercial common sense, in the lawyer’s view.
The starkest example of this difference is a clause in the U.K. contract stating that if any party tries to force or persuade AstraZeneca or its subcontractors to do anything that could hold up the supply of the vaccine doses, the government may terminate the deal and invoke what appear to be punishment clauses — although these are largely redacted. "[1]
https://www.politico.eu/article/the-key-differences-between- https://www.politico.eu/article/the-key-differences-between-...
- Tehnix 6y ago> We did not screw them. We just wrote a decent contract, and they wrote an awful one. Screwing someone in writing is still screwing them. By your same logic, the EU hasn't screwed anyone, since it's within legal powers to do what it's doing - i.e. it's in the contract of being in the EU.
- martinald 6y agoLet's see if it is legal. I'm not sure it is, for example why are they just doing AZ and not Pfizer (despite Pfizer exporting WAY more than AZ)? Also, there are significant unused stockpiles of AZ all over Europe (and very few Pfizer stockpiled). If anything it should be the other way round. IANAL though.
- breakfastduck 6y agoWe didn't screw them. They screwed themselves by writing a nonsense contract written by people who don't have a clue.
- mytailorisrich 6y agoSo so-called "AstraZeneca" vaccine was developed by Oxford University using British government funds (as least in part). They made a deal with AstraZeneca to bring it to the market and insisted that it had to be sold at cost worldwide. Does that sound like "screwing" anyone? The EU has handled the pandemic badly overall, and especially the vaccine. They are making noise as a way to distract and deflect and apparently their public opinion is buying it. They are also complaining about supply of AZ vaccine while, at the same time, trying hard to destroy that vaccine's reputation (so that some people don't want it). This is incomprehensible.