European Union leaders have vowed to increase production of vaccines across the continent, following a slow start to the bloc's inoculation program.

The EU has been embroiled in a row with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca after accusing the company of failing to deliver sufficient doses of its vaccine to member states.

In response, EU leaders have vowed to limit the number of doses of vaccines it exports worldwide until AstraZeneca has fulfilled its order but says it won't ban exports entirely.

There are fears in the UK that a blockade could severely damage its vaccination drive and also impair inoculation programs in other countries reliant on doses and other elements of vaccine production that are manufactured in EU countries.

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Speaking at a virtual EU summit on Thursday that was attended by leaders of each of the bloc's 27 member states, European Council President Charles Michel vowed to kick-start its vaccination program. 

He said: "It's absolutely vital, of course, that we keep on working to improve vaccine production in Europe and improve our ability to distribute those to member states.

"This is our absolute priority and we are completely dedicated to that task along with the European Commission."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also added that AstraZeneca must deliver on its agreement to deliver the required number of doses to the EU. 

"I think it is clear that first of all the company has to catch up," Von der Leyen told a news conference after the virtual leaders' summit.

"[It] has to honor the contract it has with European member states before it can engage again in exporting vaccines," she said. "We want to explain to our European citizens that they [can] get their fair share."

Speaking in the Bundestag, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has backed the EU's plans to increase production of vaccines within the bloc.

"The problem at the moment with the vaccine supply isn't so much due to the question how much was ordered, but more about how much can be manufactured on European soil," she said.

"Because we can clearly see: British manufacturing plants manufacture for Great Britain, the U.S. aren't exporting anything and therefore we rely on what can be produced in Europe and we have to expect this virus will preoccupy us for a long time."

Meanwhile, France's President Emmanuel Macron says he would support more drastic export controls. "I support the fact that we must block all exports for as long as some drug companies don't respect their commitments with Europeans," he said.