During the plenary session (14-18 December 2020), mainly in Brussels, MEPs debate an EU strategy for COVID-19 vaccinations that addresses challenges inside and outside the EU. Opening statements by Michael ROTH, German Presidency and Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

plenary session

vaccine

healthcare safety (T)

SCHINAS, Margaritis (EPP-DE, EL, EC)

vaccination

ROTH, Michael (DE)

Coronavirus outbreak (T)

Preparation of an EU Strategy on COVID-19 vaccination, including its external dimension: Opening statements by Michael ROTH, German Presidency and Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/6160841/I200119Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (Original), Klára DOBREV (S&D, HU), Vice-chair, Good afternoon. The sitting is resumed. The next item on the agenda is Council and Commission statements, preparation of an EU strategy on covid-19 vaccination, including its external dimension. I should like to inform members that for all debates of this past session, there will be no catch the eye procedure and no blue cards will be accepted and all those who want to speak without a mask should come here up front. Thank you very much. And I give the floor to Michael Roth on behalf of the Council.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, Worldwide at the moment and in Europe as well, we're seeing a huge health crisis. And in today's discussion this morning, we sent a clear signal. We said that we're going to act with solidarity and we want to come out of this crisis together. We recognise the severe economic and social consequences of the pandemic, but we want to mitigate those as much as possible with a Multiannual Financial Framework, with huge resources, but also with huge commitment.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, And we all know, of course, that's not enough. And in the coming days and weeks, what we're seeing in EU member states is a second or even a third wave. In my own country, Germany, we're seeing unprecedented levels of deaths. 950 is the unprecedented level today. Hundreds of thousand people have already died. Millions of people are infected and some of them are suffering severe symptoms. We've adopted restrictive measures in order to protect as far as we can, the citizens of our countries.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, But there is one means that will hopefully enable us to say that we've stopped the pandemic and that is a vaccine and it's only with a vaccine that we can conquer the virus. But there's still a lot to be done. And given that this virus doesn't need a passport, given that it doesn't recognise national borders, it's been necessary right from the outset to develop European strategies. That's what we've done in the area of the vaccine.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, Firstly, I have to say how respectful and how grateful I am to these scientists and researchers, to the companies in and beyond Europe who have contributed to the process of developing a vaccine so swiftly. Two vaccines should be given authorisation in Europe shortly. We know that the development, production and introduction of effective vaccines is the only way of providing a long term solution to this public health crisis.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, And we've decided to adopt a common approach. I know that our populations are worried about the fact that in some countries, in the UK, in Israel and in the US, there are vaccines that have already received authorisation. But we've decided not to focus on national strategies. We've said that we're going to follow a European path. We don't want competition between member states for these vaccines. We want to ensure that all citizens in the European Union will have the vaccine available to them at the same time.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, That's not an easy task because obviously at the beginning, following the authorisation, which should happen very soon, hopefully on the 21st of December, we know that there won't be enough vaccines so that all those who wish to be vaccinated can be vaccinated. And there will be debates and discussions around that. There will be discussions in every member state about who should receive the vaccine first.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, And there are states who are having discussions of whether vaccination should be compulsory. And the priorities are obviously health care workers, the elderly, vulnerable people with pre-existing conditions. These are the groups who will be given priority in member states. And I am extremely grateful to the Commission for what they have achieved, namely that we have an option for almost two billion doses of vaccines.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, We've been able to achieve that. So it's clear that wherever people live in the European Union, because of the efforts we've made and because of the coordination of the Commission, they will benefit from the protection which they have a claim to. And I hope that access will be, insofar as is possible, free. And allow me to respond a little bit to the question of who is the first and who is the quickest, and allow me to respond with one word initially: communication.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, I must say, sometimes I have to concede that I'm sometimes left speechless about the campaigns on social media that seek to make people scared of getting vaccinated. The disease in itself is obviously far more dangerous than stories about the vaccination. But we need to also be careful that we don't succumb to political pressures when it comes to the authorisation processes, we need to trust our citizens.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, We need also to convince them that, insofar as is possible, that rates of vaccination are as high as possible, 60 to 70 percent is considered to be the rate where our society is protected. And the collection of data finally is very important. We need to monitor the progress of a vaccination programme so that everybody knows what happens in cases of vaccination and that new fears don't arise.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, So we've worried. We've paid attention to the safety and security of individual citizens in the EU. Obviously, we want to protect them. But we've also taken a global view, and I'm very grateful to the COVAX facility, which the Commission has created and contributed to. And so that means that we are respecting our commitment to international solidarity. And we know that we can only protect our citizens from the pandemic if our neighbourhoods are also protected, if people in other countries we cooperate with are also effectively protected and that a pandemic is effectively fought.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, So from an organisational perspective and a financial perspective, we need to help those countries who do not have the financial resources that the European Union gratefully does have. So it's our overriding common goal to develop and make available vaccines on an accelerated basis so that people everywhere can have access to vaccines, at least an affordable price. And obviously, the vaccines don't offer us a kind of miracle solution that will immediately allow us to return to normality.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Michael ROTH, German Presidency, There won't be the old normality. We will have to return, as it were, to a new normality, we'll go forward to new normality. And we would have to continue to respect the rules on a day by day basis that we've all agreed upon: social distancing, mask wearing, following hygiene rules. And even if it's difficult in the coming days over Christmas, recognise our responsibility towards our nearest and dearest and towards those in wider society. We do that, we can move forward. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Dear President, Mr. Roth, president, honourable members, we are living turbulent times, the health situation across Europe is extremely uncertain. The impact of the pandemic on our economies and societies unprecedented. And the threat, unfortunately, remains very real. As we approach to the end of the year holiday season, it is only natural that families and friends wish to travel and spend time together. But make no mistake, we are still very much in the middle of this pandemic and we cannot afford to be complacent.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Yet the prospect of a covid-19 vaccine provides some light at the end of the tunnel. Allow me to stress once again the three golden principles that are guiding the Commission's work in this field, namely equal access, affordability and safety. The Commission for the last months has been negotiating intensively to build a diversified portfolio of vaccines at fair prices and is working full speed to review their safety and make them available.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, As you know, in Europe, the decision of authorisation of these vaccines are not in the hands of politicians nor on the hands of institutions, but in the hands of independent regulatory agencies. In our case, the European Medicines Agency. And as by now I think is known, we are aiming to authorise the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine by the end of the year. The EMA have already announced their intention to provide for an authorisation next Monday.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, If this is the case, the Commission is ready to provide the formal authorisation and blessing in the market in supersonic fast procedures. We can do in two days the formal authorisation that normally for this type of authorisation in the markets can even take two months. This means that this vaccine will be the Christmas gift for all Europeans if everything goes well.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, And we also know that before mid January, the other vaccine by Moderna, we will have an opinion also by EMA, and EMA is also now currently conducting rolling reviews on the vaccines produced by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. Once authorised, we will secure access to these vaccines for all EU citizens at the same time. But for this to happen, member states need to have all preparations in place and activate their national vaccination plans.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, We have already provided guidance in October to that respect. And this is being done in a coordinated manner. All our member states are making great efforts to put in place robust vaccination plans. These include identification of priority groups to be vaccinated first, ensuring solid supply chains, logistics and infrastructure, training staff, or developing electronic vaccination registries.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, There is still much to do and certainly many challenges to overcome. But the Commission stands ready and committed to help. We are also providing support to member states on communication around covid-19 vaccines. As someone who fought against the virus, not only as a member of the college, but also from a hospital bed, I wish to say that nobody should underestimate or negate the threat we are facing nor the usefulness of the vaccines.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, It is important that our citizens understand that we have not cut corners on safety and the vaccines do not pose a risk. Europe will only authorise vaccines for our citizens under the sole condition that they are safe. Building trust is, of course, the key to ensure a high vaccination uptake. And everybody knows by now that this is and should be our collective priority because at the end of the day, vaccines in themselves do not save lives. Vaccination does. We must also remember that the European Union has a duty to the world.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, We know that no one is safe until everyone is safe. And that is why we aim at ensuring universal and equitable access not only to vaccines, but also to diagnostic and therapeutics for all, including the most vulnerable populations living in the poorest and most fragile countries. No one should and no one will be left behind. Europe has been leading the international solidarity efforts to establish the COVAX facility.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Team Europe, our institutions and our member states is now the largest contributor to COVAX to purchase and deliver vaccines to low income countries as part of a collective objective to buy two billion vaccine doses by the end of next year. The European Union is deeply and firmly committed to multilateralism and joint coordination with multilateral institutions.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, We are the European Union, and in our values, we are guided by the principles of solidarity and unity of purpose, and as such, we will donate under the Team Europe approach, us and our member states, a proportion of our vaccines with our Western Balkan partners in our neighbourhood, as well as for humanitarian assistance and frontline health workers in the poorest countries.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, This is a temporary solution to bridge the time gap until vaccines from COVAX will be broadly available. And we are currently working on a methodology to make this happen. We will also ensure... And I know that this is an issue of interest to many of you. We will ensure that intellectual property rights are not an obstacle to the universal access to vaccines, including in developing countries that have no production capacity or have limited financial resources.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Last but not least, we as the European Union, we need to advance rapidly on getting our own European Health Union off the ground. Several proposals are already on the table. Others will follow. And I'm grateful to this House for your consistent support to all these initiatives from the Commission. Minister, honourable members, I wish to emphasise the importance of remaining vigilant whilst we advance our work on vaccines and we are now getting to the later stage.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, It is essential to keep reducing transmission of the virus through effective testing, contact tracing and isolation until the immediate danger is behind us. Responsibility, both collective and individual, remain essential to get our lives and businesses restarted, but also to reduce the pressure on our heroic health care workers whose immense efforts of the last months need to be not only acknowledged but compensated.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Our European way of life has been severely tested these eight months, but it did not collapse. It resisted. Our resilient societies, our resilient health systems, the universality of our schools and educations proved that although we are tested, we can manage and we did manage because we are in this together. Thank you.