EU pressing AstraZeneca for agreement to publish coronavirus vaccine contract, after CEO Pascal Soriot spoke about aspects of it yesterday. "Personally I'm happy that we start taking off the veil," an EU official said, as the dispute (and PR battle) over vaccine supply escalates.

EU-AstraZeneca vaccine supply row 2: contract has "significant reporting requirements" for company that, if breached, may allow EU to suspend payments, a bloc official says.

EU-AstraZeneca vaccine supply row 3: EU had meeting with company in December at which it became clear it wouldn't live up to the "highest level" of expectations on deliveries. But "it is only last Friday that [we saw] there was a massive shortfall," EU official says.

EU-AstraZeneca vaccine supply row 4: On delivery prospects, EU official says: "We have no information apart from the months of February and March, which is also very strange."

EU-AstraZeneca vaccine supply row 5: Company "needs to be really clean" in their explanations, EU official says. "We have just had another instance of difficulty, in which the behaviour of the company was completely different" - the temporary hitch in BioNTech/Pfizer deliveries.

EU-AstraZeneca vaccine supply row 6: Question about whether EU is hogging vaccines from eg African countries. "I have a great deal of affection for Africa," EU official opens, before saying European bloc wants to be "generous".

***KEY POINT*** EU-AstraZeneca vaccine supply row 7: EU thinks that contract entitles it to production share from two plants in the UK. This could become a big post-Brexit political story.

EU-AstraZeneca vaccine supply row 8: EU official disputes company's claims that its EU production is separated from its UK production. "That does not correspond with what is in the contract."

EU-AstraZeneca vaccine supply row 9: Asked if EU expects company to deliver production from UK plants if they are working better, EU official says, "Yes - they are part of our contract." ENDS