Question for written answer E-000695/2021 to the Commission Rule 138 (NI), (Renew), Maria Grapini (S&D), i Casamajó (NI), Clara Ponsatí Obiols (NI), Antoni Comín i Oliveres (NI), Clare Daly (The Left), (S&D), Klemen Grošelj (Renew), Arza (The Left), (NI), Rasmus Andresen (Verts/ALE), Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Renew), Irena Joveva (Renew), Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou (PPE), Ivan Vilibor Sinčić (NI), Michaela Šojdrová (PPE), Chiara Gemma (NI), (NI), Jacek Saryusz-Wolski (ECR), Liudas Mažylis (PPE), Michal Šimečka (Renew), Jorge Buxadé Villalba (ECR), Monika Vana (Verts/ALE), (NI), Eva Kaili (S&D), (NI), (NI), Hermann Tertsch (ECR), (ECR), Costas Mavrides (S&D), Vlad Gheorghe (Renew), Kim Van Sparrentak (Verts/ALE), Gilles Lebreton (ID), Emmanuel Maurel (The Left), Cyrus Engerer (S&D), (Renew), Petri Sarvamaa (PPE), Margarita de la Pisa Carrión (ECR), Marek Paweł Balt (S&D)

Subject: Clarification concerning the COVID-19 vaccine supply cuts in the EU

According to the agreement reached in August 2020 with the EU, AstraZeneca had been set to deliver about 80 million doses to the 27 EU Member States by March 2021.

In January 2021, AstraZeneca declared that because of production problems and the resulting supply constraints, the number of initial doses for EU Member States would be reduced.

According to a report in the British newspaper The Telegraph, however, AstraZeneca may have cut supplies intended for EU countries in order to sell doses to other nations at higher prices1.

At the same time, Pfizer announced on 15 January that it was temporarily reducing deliveries of vaccines to the EU until late January while it upgraded production facilities. As a result, vaccinations in some parts of the EU are being held up and, in some cases, completely halted2.

1. What measures, including legal action if needed, will the Commission take to find out exactly how many doses have been produced by AstraZeneca and to whom they have been delivered?

2. Similarly, what measures will it take to ensure that pharmaceutical companies’ contractual obligations to the EU will be met with regard to the number of vaccines delivered, and to ensure that the contracts will be fully published?

1 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/01/26/eus-coronavirus-jabs-may-have-ended-britain/ 2 https://www.ft.com/content/e8177df6-04ae-4d20-8e62-ca76589c7653

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