Fast examination, but no hasty examination / marketing authorisation within weeks and not within one or two days

MEP Peter Liese, health policy spokesperson for the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP-Christian Democrats), supports the authorisation procedure for vaccines in the European Union. In contrast to the regulation in the USA and the procedure in Great Britain, the European Union will not carry out an emergency approval procedure for vaccines. "The 27 Member States of the European Union would have the possibility to apply for emergency approval in the same way as the UK. This is only possible for the UK, despite Brexit, because of the provision in EU legislation. Any other Member State could do the same, but I do not recommend it.

The examination procedure at the European Medicines Agency is more serious because experts from all Member States are involved and the data are analysed more closely than in the national emergency approval procedures. This is why there will be no approval in the European Union in this week, but only later. However, I still expect this to happen before Christmas. The European Union will apply a so-called conditional marketing authorisation procedure. This means that the companies will receive an authorisation, but also further conditions to better test the effectiveness of the vaccine in certain population groups and the side effects in general. The authorisation will also be limited I expect, for example, that children and young people will not yet be vaccinated because the companies have not yet carried out sufficient research. Nevertheless, things will happen quickly, because the European Medicines Agency has been preparing for this procedure since spring and the first results have been analysed for many weeks. The best experts from all over the EU are on standby since spring", Liese concludes.