The European Commission has decided not to take up an option to buy 100 million additional doses of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine after safety concerns about cases of blood clotting linked to the vaccine as well as issues with its supply. The European Union’s contract with AZ included 400 million doses of the vaccine, 100 million of which were optional. An E.U. spokesman said that the deadline to exercise this option had passed and that the bloc did not wish to take it up.
The E.U. is also preparing legal proceedings against AstraZeneca over the “fulfilment of deliveries”, though the drugmaker said it was not yet aware of any action. Reuters has the story.
The European Commission is working on legal proceedings against AstraZeneca after the drugmaker cut Covid vaccine deliveries to the E.U., sources familiar with the matter said.
The move would mark a further step in an E.U. plan to sever ties with the Anglo-Swedish company after it repeatedly cut supplies to the bloc, contributing to major delays in Europe’s vaccine rollout.
The news about the legal case was first reported on Thursday by Politico. An E.U. official involved in talks with drugmakers confirmed authorities in Brussels were preparing to sue the company.
“EU states have to decide if they (will) participate. It is about fulfilment of deliveries by the end of the second quarter,” the official said…
“What matters is that we ensure the delivery of a sufficient number of doses in line with the company’s earlier commitments,” a Commission spokesman said in an emailed statement. “Together with the member states, we are looking at all options to make this happen.”
Questions have been raised by the E.U. about how AstraZeneca has spent the money granted to it by the bloc to produce Covid vaccines, as well as about delays to the delivery of the vaccine.
Brussels also questioned how AstraZeneca spent more than 224 million euros ($270 million) granted by the E.U. in September to buy vaccine ingredients and for which the bloc said the company had not provided sufficient documents confirming the purchases.
Under the contract, the company had committed to making its “best reasonable efforts” to deliver to the E.U. 180 million vaccine doses in the second quarter, for a total of 300 million in the period from December to June.
But the company said in a statement on March 12th it would aim to deliver only one-third of that…
Under the contract, the parties agreed that Belgian courts would be responsible for settling unresolved disputes.
Worth reading in full.
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“Knave can’t see Queens because of Queen”.
Reminds me of that headline about “Queen in brawl at [Crystal] Palace”! In all honesty though, the footballing authorities have long been a bunch of numpties. People can’t drink alcohol within site of the pitch at matches (though if they go into the club bar or watch the same match in a pub, it’s alright). I’ll just say this decision on cancelling should have been left up to individual clubs, or possibly leagues. It does seem heavy handed that even very junior leagues have to cancel games. It also seems odd that horse racing went ahead as usual today. Were the St. Leger’s Classic being disrespectful? Hardly likely.
So far as I’m concerned, segregation should be ended at football matches, and all-seating requirements abolished in line with other sports, and anyone who causes serious problems should be locked up. We can’t be living in fear of ruddy hooligans, and segregation should not be something for a civilised society. If football supporters were treated like civilised people, perhaps they might behave in a more civilised way.
Totally agree. Idiotic.
And of course she was a big fan of horse racing. The last thing she would want to happen is for the races to stop; it’s good that they carried on.
This is just another example of over-arching control from the state and institutions.
Respect comes from inside the individual, like responsibiity. It is not created or imposed from outside. If people wish to show respect, they should be left alone to do it in whatever way that they think fit.
Yep, football is for the commoners and they must bow and pay their respects in the way they are told. It is these very people that the elites fear the most – the dirty masses coming together and seeing through all their bullshit. They MUST be reminded of who they are and who is in charge; they know that without that authority power will be back in the hands of the people.
What about all those people who rely on football matches to make a living: the pie men, sandwich makers, the breweries?
What about those who get a little income top-up when matches are on: the casual club staff like stewards, the taxi drivers, café owners, the pubs?
Some people almost live for their weekend football yet it was allegedly taken away in order, allegedly, to show a mark of respect to a 96 year old dead woman!
Do me a favour. Even if the instruction to cancel came from the footballing authorities let’s not pretend that some leaning wasn’t carried out from government “representatives.” A deliberate decision to inflict further miseries on working people and basically to rile them. Obviously it has riled Toby and I fully understand why even though I have negligible interest in the game. Other sports were allowed to proceed but not the footy.
Why?
Are we seriously expected to believe that footballing authorities don’t talk to other sporting bodies?
More rubbing the noses of the working people in the dirt:
Just look you plebs, we can even take away your weekly circus. Doubtless, shortly to be followed by their daily bread.
Am I being over the top? Maybe but these days I wouldn’t put ANYTHING past TPTB.
Evil barstewards.
Football was cancelled for the same reason that Footvall was one of the first places where pro-Ukraine, anti-Russia propaganda appeared – almost within hours of the Russian invasion, the place where ludicrous “anti-racism” rituals take place, the place where pro LGBT propaganda is displayed.
Football is very much an instrument of the establishment. It is a powerful instrument of communication and manipulation.
Football has the claws of the establishment elites deeply sunk into its skin and is used for whatever purpose is required.
On this occasion, the plebs need to be persuaded of the awesome power of the monarchy, in case anyone is thinking this is a good time to pursue republican ideals.
Don’t forget BLM [inc] (not to be mistaken with anti-racism, i.e: ‘Respect’ in the footie world) which to this day is still pandered to with this imported display of kneeling. “The crowd boos”. “Oh, it’s normal – they’re just a bunch of white supremo racists.” Er, no!!! They’re anti-Marxist grifters making money off the suffering of an ethnic group – and spending their ill-gotten gains on million dollar exclusive properties and claiming it as.. “a space for Black folks to share their gifts with the world and hone their crafts”. Yeah ok, whatever.)
Oh forgive me. I missed your “anti-racism” ritual mention. Was distracted and didn’t see anything other than the big caps letter acronym.
Pretty sure one would not have approved of this decision.
The last 3 stages of the Cycling Tour of Britain were cancelled too! I was well miffed…
Relating to priorities following the death of an elderly relative. A fair number of years ago, a Welsh family lost a beloved Grandma on the Wednesday before the Ireland v Wales 5 Nations match in Dublin. As the family all had tickets, Grandma included, they decided to go to the match as that would be the most fitting way of honouring Grandma’s memory.
Apparently Grandma would have been furious if the tickets had been wasted!!!
Ever come face to face with an irate Welsh Grandma? I do not recommend it!
The decision by the PL and EFL was very quickly announced. I think they probably wanted to be ‘ahead on the virtue signalling’, and didn’t appreciate that they would be on their own (pretty much).
One thing they can decree, please, is for the ‘taking of the knee to be ended. We have already witnessed the disgusting spectacle of a minutes silence for Prince Phillip, a man who faithfully served this nation for 70 plus years, being followed by players taking the knee for a dead drug addict and criminal from 4000 miles away. Please, not for our beloved Queen. Black arm band, silence, belt out ‘God save the King’ and get on with the game.
https://youtu.be/uHqgvWivkyY
I wonder if this Next Tuesday Warrior had anything to do with cancelling the footy?
It was just another way for “the Elites” to signal their superiority and their fear/disdain of “the lower orders.”
It’ll probably get called a mistake, like every one of the countless other major assaults on our traditions/normality over the last few years.
Once again you mistake incompetence and mistakenness for a deliberately malevolent act by the football authorities who take their orders from elsewhere. For reasons which are obvious to many, football high ups do not wish the fans to experience any sense of unity, national pride, togetherness. Rather the promotion of division and uber wokery is their only mantra. Consider how quickly the footie was used to aid and abet the lockdown nonsense, QR codes for little kids going to play in their Sunday leagues. They had the plan long before we had the sniffles: discuss.