EU threatens to ban AstraZeneca exports if vaccines not delivered

EU chief says AstraZeneca could see its COVID vaccine exports blocked if it does not meet its contractual obligations.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen has threatened to halt exports of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccines if the bloc did not receive its promised deliveries first, escalating a row that has fanned international tensions. “We have the option of banning a planned export. That’s the message to AstraZeneca: you fulfil your contract with Europe first before you start delivering to other countries,” von der Leyen told Germany’s Funke media group on Saturday. The warning comes as the EU is struggling to speed up its COVID-19 inoculation campaign, just as many member states are facing a third coronavirus wave and renewed curbs on public life.