Poland ordered to pay over 5.6 bn zloty to Pfizer for unused COVID‑19 vaccine doses

A Belgian First‑Instance Court in Brussels ordered Poland to pay 5 bn 644 m zł (about €1.3 bn) to Pfizer‑BioNTech and to take delivery of roughly 64 million COVID‑19 vaccine doses that were previously rejected. The court also imposed a 3 % registration tax on the awarded sum, amounting to an additional ≈ 170 m zł, plus administrative and enforcement costs. Poland has 60 days to file an appeal; the case will then be reviewed by a Belgian appellate court. The Ministry of Health said it will prepare legal arguments for the appeal and is coordinating with the Ministry of Finance. The ruling also applies to Romania, with a combined contract value of €1.9 bn for the two countries, highlighting broader disputes over EU joint‑procurement vaccine contracts after the pandemic receded.

Polish officials, including Finance Minister Andrzej Domański, have questioned the legality of the extra tax, stating there are no grounds for its payment. The government plans to challenge both the primary judgment and the ancillary tax claim.