Remember that Astra Zeneca was supposed to manufacture for their contract before the EMA decision. Their first notice that they would only deliver a small part of the planned total was one week before the EMA decision. So I don't fault AstraZeneca if something went wrong at their plant, but imagine they would have told everybody in December that they have problems, there is no lack of production plants in the EU, alternatives might have been possible. This is no way to handle such a sensitive issue. Did the EU commission act brilliantly all the way... probably not, but it's not like AstraZeneca gave them a chance to act brilliant.