Poland appeals court ruling ordering vaccine payment to Pfizer

Poland is challenging a Brussels court's order to pay Pfizer around 1.3 billion euros for undelivered COVID-19 vaccines. The country has lodged an appeal against the ruling, seeking to suspend the judgment pending the outcome of the appeal process.

The legal dispute originates from a 2021 agreement negotiated by the European Commission on behalf of EU member states. Poland stopped accepting vaccine deliveries in 2022, citing decreased demand and the impact of the war in Ukraine. This led Pfizer to sue Poland and Romania.

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The decision of the first-instance court does not take into account all the relevant factual and legal circumstances of the case

In April, a Brussels court ruled that Poland was bound by the contract, mandating the payment of approximately 1.3 billion euros, plus interest and legal costs. Pfizer stated that the ruling validates the importance of contractual obligations that underpinned the EU's pandemic response, built on member state solidarity.

However, Poland's Ministry of Health contends that the initial court decision fails to consider all relevant factual and legal aspects of the case. The ministry has declared that Poland will employ all available legal defenses to contest the verdict.

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The ruling confirms the importance of contractual obligations that were the basis for the successful European response to the pandemic, built on the principle of solidarity among member states