France May Impose Fines on Pfizer, BioNTech For Vaccine Delivery Delay, Europe Minister Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - France might penalize the Pfizer and BioNTech companies with sanctions for further reduction in vaccine shipments to the country, French Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune told the Europe 1 broadcaster on Friday, adding that the deliveries schedule is expected to return to normal starting Monday.

Last week, the drugmakers announced the reduction of their vaccine shipments to the EU member states for several weeks to focus on modifications on a production site in Belgium to boost production capacity in mid-February. The decision angered several European countries.

"Commitments must be respected, otherwise, there may be fines or sanctions [on laboratories]," Beaune said.

However, the official confirmed that the authorities expect the regular vaccine deliveries to resume on Monday.

The vaccination campaign in France, launched on December 27, has decelerated since last week. However, according to the latest data from the Health ministry, over 823,000 French nationals have so far been inoculated against the COVID-19, out of the 1 million citizens the government was planning to vaccinate by the end of this month.