Two corona vaccines can be approved before the new year, according to the head of the EU Commission – E24

– It is the first step to get a vaccine on the market, and EMA says it can go very fast with the Moderna and Biontech / Pfizer vaccines. But only if all goes well, says Ursula von der Leyen.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) will ensure the scientific evaluation, supervision and monitoring of medicines in the EU.

The Biontech director says they are working full time in hopes of an upcoming approval. The company will send new information about the vaccines to European regulators next week.

– There is still a chance that we may get approval from the US, Europe or both this year. We can even start delivering the vaccine in December if everyone cooperates very closely, says Ugur Sahin in an interview with the AFP news agency.

Start small

Von der Leyen emphasizes that this does not mean that mass vaccination can be started immediately.

– At first it will be a matter of small numbers, large quantities will only arrive later, says von der Leyen. He previously suggested that extensive vaccination could take place around April.

– For this reason, we have asked the member states to have ready plans for how vaccines will be implemented as they begin to arrive, and who will receive them first, he says and mentions, among other things, health workers, employees from important professions, the elderly, and people with underlying backgrounds diseases.

Will convince the skeptics

Vaccines were a major topic when EU leaders met for a video conference on the corona crisis on Thursday night. That work includes providing information to convince vaccine skeptics.

– The number of skeptics is increasing. We must clearly communicate the value of vaccines, says EU President Charles Michel.

– It is as much about protecting yourself as it is about solidarity, adds von der Leyen.

Requirements for rapid tests

Another crown topic at the meeting was testing, in particular coordinating the requirements for rapid tests, so that test results in one country are accepted in another.

– These antigen tests are faster and cheaper than PCR tests, but they are also less accurate. It is important that they catch more than 80 percent of the cases of infection, says the leader of the commission. She notes that rapid tests are appropriate when there is extensive infection.

They can, for example, be used to regulate outbreaks and monitor vulnerable groups over time, von der Leyen explains.

Furthermore, EU leaders will work once again for coordination and gradual easing of restrictions. Von der Leyen says experience this summer showed that you can go wrong if you open too fast. She says it’s important to avoid new waves of infection.

Budget fight

At Thursday’s meeting, Poland and Hungary’s veto of the EU budget was also briefly discussed from the beginning. As expected, no solution was found in this meeting.

– The vast majority agree with the rule of law clause on the table, but two countries say they cannot agree. We continue discussions to find a solution for everyone, says Michel.

Remember that the clause, which allows payments to be withheld to countries that do not respect the rule of law, is part of the package that the heads of state and government agreed to this summer.

– We were unanimous then, and it is important that we are together in this. The package is crucial for economic recovery and we need it as soon as possible, says the president.

The gigantic reconstruction fund of around NOK 8 billion is part of the budget package. It will help boost the economy again after the crisis of the crown.