Saturday

2nd Dec 2023

EU could green-light two corona vaccines in December

  • EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said expectations on lifting Covid-19 "will have to be managed" (Photo: European Commission)

The EU could get the first preliminary approvals for two Covid-19 vaccines, developed by pharmaceutical firms Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, in the second half of December, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday (19 November).

Von der Leyen said this would be a "very first step" and added that, initially, only a small amount of doses would be available, while large-scale distribution of vaccines would begin next year.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"If all proceeds with no problems, the EMA [the European Medicines Agency] tells us that the conditional marketing authorisation for BioNTech and Moderna could happen as early as the second half of December 2020," she told reporters after a videoconference of EU leaders.

Promising results from trials of the US pharma company Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech's collaboration and US's Moderna in the last two weeks have raised expectations that Covid-19 can be contained.

The EU commission has already concluded five contracts for different vaccines and is in talks with Modena.

Von der Leyen said the EMA was also in "daily calls" with its US counterpart, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to synchronise assessments.

The commission has asked all member states to provide their plans to vaccinate the population against the coronavirus.

EU leaders discussed how to overcome the logistical challenges with regards to rolling out the vaccines, once they become available, and they agreed to coordinate public information campaigns on vaccines.

"The number of people distrustful of vaccines is growing and we must clearly communicate their value," European Council president Charles Michel said.

"We are working on a vaccination campaign to support member states in the communication on the importance of vaccines. It is self-protection and it is solidarity," von der Leyen added.

Leaders also discussed the need to avoid a premature end to lockdown measures to avoid further waves of rising coronavirus infections.

"We have all learned from the experience in the summer that the exit from a wave is very difficult and that lifting measures too hastily has had a very bad impact on the epidemiological situation in summer and fall," von der Leyen said.

"This time, expectations will have to be managed," she added.

The commission will propose a gradual and coordinated approached to lifting containment measures to avoid the risk of another wave.

Michel warned that during the winter holidays, safety will have to come first.

"We all want to celebrate the end-of-the-year holidays, but safely. Let's ring in the new year safely," he told reporters.

EU commission keeps vaccine price secret

The European Commission is about to sign a fourth contract for hundreds of millions of vaccine doses against Covid-19. The contracts include non-disclosure clauses, meaning things like price or even where they will be produced remains confidential.

EU seeks new deal for '90% effective' Covid-19 vaccine

After an experimental Covid-19 vaccine developed by the American giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech was found to be more than 90 percent effective, the EU announced that it will sign a contract for up to 300 million doses.

EU outlines vaccine roll-out plan

The European Commission urged member states to scale up efforts to flatten the curve of the second wave of Covid-19 and recommended common measures for the roll-out of potential vaccines.

EU defends its slower vaccine authorisation

After the UK approved the use of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNtech, the pressure is mounting on the EU. But how are these vaccines approved in the bloc - and what is the legal liability?

Opinion

'Pay or okay?' — Facebook & Instagram vs the EU

Since last week, Mark Zuckerberg's Meta corporation is forcing its European users to either accept their intrusive privacy practices — or pay €156 per year to access Facebook and Instagram without tracking advertising.

Opinion

My experience trying to negotiate with Uber

After working with people in unusual employment situations for a decade, I thought I had seen it all as a union organiser. Then I began dealing with Uber.

Latest News

  1. Israel's EU ambassador: 'No clean way to do this operation'
  2. Brussels denies having no 'concern' on Spain's amnesty law
  3. Dubai's COP28 — a view from the ground
  4. Germany moves to criminalise NGO search-and-rescue missions
  5. Israel recalls ambassador to Spain in new diplomatic spat
  6. Migrant return bill 'obstructed' as EU states mull new position
  7. Paris and Berlin key to including rape in gender-violence directive
  8. What are the big money debates at COP28 UN climate summit?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  3. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  4. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  5. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  6. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us