EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides speaks about the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine delivery row at the European Union headquarters in Brussels on Jan. 27, 2021. (Photo: AFP-Yonhap News)
[Anchor]
The European Union's dispute with AstraZeneca over a massive shortfall in vaccine deliveries flared on Wednesday.
EU officials insisted that the company come up with a clear plan to deliver on its contractual obligations.
The EU had been expecting 80 million doses by the end of March, but the company said it will only be able to deliver 40 percent of that due to production delays.
After a meeting with company representatives, health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said there was still a lack of clarity.
AstraZeneca said it had agreed to even closer coordination.
The BBC's Nick Beake reports from Brussels.
[Reporter]
The EU certainly thinks it's in a very strong legal position and is asking AstraZeneca to publish the contract that was agreed.
But really, this row has escalated very publicly today.
At its heart, the EU believes that AstraZeneca is favoring the U.K. over European countries.
AstraZeneca says that isn't the case.
It's sticking to the terms of its agreement and it's pointed out that the EU signed its contract three months after the U.K. did.
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