Belgian court orders Poland and Romania to pay Pfizer €1.9 billion over COVID-19 vaccine contract
The Facts
- A Belgian court ruled that Poland and Romania must take delivery of and pay for about €1.9 billion worth of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech.
- The Brussels court ordered Poland to pay about €1.3 billion and Romania about €600 million.
- Pfizer sued Poland and Romania in late 2023 to enforce vaccine purchase commitments the countries had not fully honored.
- The dispute concerns a COVID-19 vaccine supply contract negotiated by the European Commission on behalf of EU member states.
- Poland said in 2022 that it would not accept and pay for doses it considered unnecessary as the pandemic waned, and Romania later took the same step.
- The court rejected arguments from Poland and Romania that included the evolution of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and claims of Pfizer abusing a dominant position.
- Poland's health ministry said it would pursue legal options or appeal the ruling.
Context
Why was the case heard in Belgium?
The case was heard in Belgium because the European Commission, which is based in Brussels, negotiated the vaccine contracts with Pfizer on behalf of EU member states Hurriyet Daily News,24 News HD.
What contract is this ruling about?
The ruling concerns an EU-level COVID-19 vaccine supply agreement negotiated by the European Commission with Pfizer during the pandemic, under which member states were assigned or committed to specific numbers of doses over multiple years 1470 & 100.3 WMBD,Bloomberg Business,La Libre.be.
Can the ruling still be challenged?
Yes. Multiple reports say Poland plans to challenge the decision, and Romanian officials have said the ruling is not final, though one minister said it is enforceable Devdiscourse,Stiri pe surse,Notes From Poland.
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