Bangladesh, April 4 -- A Belgian court has ruled that Poland and Romania must proceed with the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines worth approximately €1.9 billion ($2.2 billion), despite both countries arguing that the doses are no longer needed. The decision marks a significant legal development in the ongoing fallout from pandemic-era procurement agreements negotiated by the European Commission under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen.

The ruling, issued by a court in Brussels, stems from contracts signed during the height of the global Covid-19 crisis in 2020 and 2021. At the time, the European Union centralized vaccine procurement in an effort to ensure equitable access for member states, many of which were struggling to contain...