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By JONATHAN POWELL in London | China Daily Global | Updated: 2021-05-11 09:12 Share CLOSE Vial labelled AstraZeneca coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine placed on displayed EU flag is seen in this illustration picture taken March 24, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]
The European Union has not renewed its order for AstraZeneca vaccines beyond June when the contract ends, a top official has said. We did not renew the order after June. We ll see what happens, said European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, speaking to France Inter radio.
Two weeks ago, the European Commission launched legal proceedings against AstraZeneca over vaccine delivery delays.
Breton said failure to deliver the vaccines agreed in a contract was essentially the reason why the EU had a slower start to its vaccination campaign in the earlier part of the year, Euronews reported.
Around 1,500 French farmers protested outside European Parliament in Strasbourg on Friday.
The demonstrators, many driving tractors, are angry over EU proposals that they say threaten their livelihood.
Negotiations over the Common Agricultural Policy are still going on in Brussels.
The protesters claim the plans lean too far towards environmental issues that will make farming more expensive. The Common Agricultural Policy must help to sustain farmers on the land, explained Laurent Champenois of the French Farmers Unions Federation. There are only 500,000 farmers left, but the future reform proposed to us will reduce the number of farmers, it will cut it by half.