Thursday

7th Dec 2023

EU: Vaccine misinformation will be 'big challenge'

  • Commissioner for health Stella Kyriakides said the EU collective strategy on vaccines is "a historic success for the union," warning that "fragmentation only makes us all more vulnerable" (Photo: Jernej Furman)

One of the biggest challenges ahead for the EU will be fighting the spread of vaccine misinformation and disinformation, EU officials said at an online event organised on Wednesday (13 January).

"Distrust among citizens against vaccines is a key challenge we have to confront in the next months," said Manfred Weber, the head of the largest political party in the European Parliament, the European People's Party.

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

"Everyone is free to raise concerns but we should have a zero-tolerance approach to targeted disinformation campaigns about vaccines, particularly on social media," he added.

For her part, EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said that the so-called 'corona fatigue' is often linked to lack of trust on expert advice, making the fight against vaccine disinformation and misinformation "our biggest challenge" after the virus itself. Misinformation is erroneous information, whilst disinformation is erroneous information sent deliberately.

"It is important that we address the hesitancy that we do see among European citizens, so when the [majority of] vaccines are rollout, they feel confident to be vaccinated," she also said, pointing out that it is "not the vaccines" that save lives, but "vaccinations".

The rumour that vaccines could somehow change peoples' DNA has been one of the false claims most widely shared since the use of the Pfizer/BioNtech and Moderna vaccine was approved in the EU.

That is why MEP Peter Liese highlighted that people must understand that the new mRNA technology, used for the Pfizer/BioNtech and the Moderna vaccine, does not change people's genetic code.

"The mRNA is a temporary information template that lasts hours or a day and instructs the cell to make antibodies, it does not affect the nucleus nor does it affect genes," explained the chief medical officer of pharmaceutical firm Moderna, Tal Zaks, warning that if the medicine is not translated into education, "medicine will not have an impact".

"Vaccines are one of the greatest inventions of modern mankind," he added, saying that scientists will be able to leverage lessons learned from the mRNA technology for other diseases such as HIV.

'Miracle'

In her intervention, commissioner for health Kyriakides also said that the EU collective strategy on vaccines is "a historic success for the union," warning that "fragmentation only makes us all more vulnerable".

For his part, EU commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas described the EU's overall strategy for vaccines as a "miracle," saying that big member states would have absorbed most of the vaccines at expense of smaller ones without a collective approach.

Vaccination prevents an estimated three million deaths worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organization.

However, several EU and neighbouring countries have seen unprecedented outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases due to vaccine hesitancy.

The European Democracy Action Plan and the Digital Services Act, presented by the commission last year, aim at improving transparency and accountability of online platforms and fighting disinformation.

EU agency authorises Moderna vaccine amid blame-game

The European Medicines Agency has authorised the use of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by US company Moderna - while the EU is involved in a blame-game over a sluggish vaccine rollout across member states.

Commission silent as Germany buys own vaccines

The European Commission refused to comment on whether a bilateral deal between Germany and BioNTech for 30 million additional vaccines is a breach of EU collective purchase agreements - which forbid member states from negotiating separate deals.

EU targets vaccinating 70% of adults by summer

The European Commission has announced targets to accelerate the roll-out of vaccination, and the intention of "a common approach" on possible vaccine certificates. Both topics will be discussed by EU leaders on Thursday.

Opinion

The EU's U-turn on caged farm animals — explained

A European citizens' initiative — signed by 1.4 million people — saw the EU Commission promise to ban cages for 300 million farmed animals. Then the farming lobby got involved.

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.

Latest News

  1. EU suggests visa-bans on Israeli settlers, following US example
  2. EU ministers prepare for all-night fiscal debate
  3. Spain's Nadia Calviño backed to be EIB's first female chief
  4. Is there hope for the EU and eurozone?
  5. Crunch talks seek breakthrough on EU asylum overhaul
  6. Polish truck protest at Ukraine border disrupts war supplies
  7. 'Green' banks lend most to polluters, reveals ECB
  8. Tense EU-China summit showdown unlikely to bear fruit

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

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us