Speaking to MEPs on Wednesday 16 December, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Member States to start their vaccination campaigns all “on the same day”.
“The Commission strongly encourages a coordinated approach to vaccination. As soon as a vaccine has been declared safe and effective, it is desirable that vaccination should begin as soon as possible ”, the institution’s spokesperson added shortly thereafter.
On the previous day, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced its intention to give its opinion on a possible authorisation of the vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech one week ahead of schedule.
“Following receipt yesterday evening of the additional data requested by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) from the company, and pending the outcome of its assessment, an exceptional meeting of the CHMP is now scheduled for 21 December, with a view, if possible, to taking a decision. The meeting scheduled for 29 December will be maintained, if necessary “, the EMA added via press release.
Several Member States, including Germany, were indeed calling for a decision before Christmas, especially as both the UK and the US have already started vaccinating.
For its part, on Wednesday, the Commission reaffirmed its intention to “ensure that market authorisation can be given within 2 days” of the EMA’s opinion, potentially on 23 December. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)