European Commissions "feud" with AstraZeneca

The row over AstraZeneca's deal to supply COVID-19 vaccines to the EU deepened on Wednesday, with the European Commission accusing the pharmaceutical giant of breaching a "binding commitment."

AstraZeneca has denied picking out of a scheduled meeting with EU officials. The company says it plans to meet with EU officials later on Wednesday in Brussels, contradicting earlier reports.

The comments came after EU officials said the group had pulled out of the meeting to discuss delayed vaccine promises to the bloc. The talks are scheduled to be the third win in as many days.

"We can confirm that AstraZeneca accepted an invitation earlier this morning to attend a conference with the EC Steering Committee later today. Reports that this is not the case are wrong," AstraZeneca said in a statement provided to Euronews.

European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said the EU had provided investment in return for a "binding commitment" to provide vaccines prior to regulatory approval.

"Not being able to ensure production capacity is against the letter and the spirit of our agreement," she told a news organization on Wednesday afternoon.

AstraZeneca denies breaching the terms of its contract with the EU, following the revelation that planned numbers are to be cut by 60% compared to levels it had allowed to aim for. It blames glitches in production.

The dispute highlights the tension over vaccine stocks as Europe struggles to roll out inoculation programs against the coronavirus.

Separately, French firm Sanofi has guaranteed to help out with vaccine production by boosting the circulation of vaccines made by rival farmers Pfizer and BioNTech.

The feud between the European Commission and AstraZeneca over the supply of coronavirus vaccine is very much likely to impact the immunization drive in the region. People fear that this is highly going to affect the vaccination drives of the most anticipated vaccination.