On December 5, the European Newsroom interviewed the European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen ahead of the EU-China summit on December 7. Besides trade, the EU officials plan to also address China-Russia relations, sanctioned MEPs and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), an EU body that monitors pharmaceutical safety, approved Covid vaccines in late 2020. During a press conference in Strasbourg in November 2023, a member of the European Parliament claimed that the EMA had just admitted that mass vaccination had been “illegal” because the jabs had only been authorised for “personal protection” and not for preventing transmission from one person to another. The claim was shared hundreds of times on social media in various languages. It is however false. The EMA had indeed authorised the vaccine for protecting the vaccinated individuals only, but that did not make mass vaccinations illegal. We also know more now about the effectiveness of Covid vaccines at preventing transmission compared to when they were first introduced in 2020.
The European Commission has approved Slovenia’s request for aid to help with the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the country following the floods in August. Schengen enlargement will not be discussed during the Justice and Home Affairs Council in December. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launches a global alliance to combat migrant smugglers.