BERLIN, (Reuters) – Germany might miss its target of 100 million COVID-19 vaccinations by this year’s deadline due to delivery delays and conditions imposed upon manufacturers.

According to the European Commission the 50 million doses represent half of all the EU Member States’ promise to countries in need this year.

On Oct. 19, however, the foreign office stated that Germany had donated only 17%.

Thomas Steffen from the health ministry stated Monday that vaccine companies impose ongoing bureaucratic and logistical obstacles on EU countries that want to provide surplus shots.

Steffen stated that it is almost impossible for them to quickly respond to international assistance requests.

This letter represents the most clear sign of tension between drugmakers and governments over donations. EU members and rich nations with the most vulnerable populations have been given vaccines. The World Health Organization is urging them to give more vaccinations to countries that have not yet inoculated their entire population.

Steffen stated that “with vaccine surpluses increasing in many member countries at the moment, we will soon face a global allocation emergency.” Steffen wrote that some countries might be forced to throw away large quantities of vaccines vitally needed elsewhere in the world.

He stated that there are many obstacles, including minimum sales prices, excessive compensation payments to recipient countries, and limitations on distribution to international organisations.

He said that planning can be made more complicated by changes in the expected delivery volume and expiration dates for vaccine doses.

Steffen said AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:) could together only deliver up to 50 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccines this year, meaning Germany would also have to donate Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Shots that form the basis of their vaccination program.

These companies couldn’t be reached immediately for comment.

EU countries have mostly promised to donate AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. These vaccines are not recommended for use in the most rare instances of bleeding clotting.

The criticisms of wealthy nations are likely to increase as they roll out boosters for teenagers at low risk from COVID-19 and continue the epidemic elsewhere.