"The Commission has started last Friday a legal action against AstraZeneca," the spokesman told a news conference, noting all 27 EU states backed the move.
* AstraZeneca on Monday said that legal action by the European Union against the pharmaceutical company over the supply of its COVID-19 vaccine was without merit and pledged to defend itself strongly in court.
"AstraZeneca has fully complied with the Advance Purchase Agreement with the European Commission and will strongly defend itself in court. We believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible," AstraZeneca said in a statement.