COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL A united front to beat COVID-19
Date: 2021-01-19
Institutions: European Commission, Secretariat-General
Subjects: coronavirus disease, disease surveillance, epidemic, free movement of persons, international cooperation, public health, single market, therapeutics, vaccination, vaccine

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 19.1.2021  COM(2021) 35 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL A united front to beat COVID-19  
 
 
INTRODUCTION 

The  turn  of  the  year  is  likely  to  mark  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  the  COVID-19 
pandemic.  Thanks  to  pioneering  science  and  remarkable  political  and  industrial 
efforts,  what  is  normally  done  in  ten  years  was  achieved  in  ten  months  and  with 
speedy,  mass  vaccinations  being  rolled  out,  millions  of  Europeans  have  now  been 
vaccinated against COVID-19.  

However, while infections rise and until vaccinations are done on a scale required to 
turn the tide of the pandemic, continued vigilance, containment measures and public 
health controls will be required. The EU and Member States must act now to contain 
the  risk  of  a  potentially  harsher  third  wave  of  infections,  characterised  by  the  more 
transmissible new variants of the virus, which are already present across Europe.  

With  the  hope  and  sobriety  that  this  brings,  must  come  a  renewed  and  united 
determination for Europe to act together to: 

  Speed up vaccination and vaccine supplies 
  Ramping up testing and sequencing to control infections and new variants 
  Ensure the functioning of the Single Market 
  Show international leadership and solidarity with its partners 

This Communication sets out the decisions and coordinated approach needed to 
deliver on these four priorities in the Leaders’ Meeting on 21 January. It builds on 
the  experience  of  the  last  weeks,  latest  scientific  advice  and  the  ‘Staying  safe  from 
COVID-19 during winter’ Communication adopted in December. 

In  a  race  against  time,  acting  together  now  will  help  us  protect  more  lives  and 
livelihoods later and relieve the burden on  already  stretched health care systems  and 
workers.  This  is  how  Europe  will  move  together  to  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  the 
pandemic. 

1.  SPEEDING UP VACCINATION  

The  EU  Vaccines  Strategy  has  proved  a  success  in  securing  for  Member  States  the 
quantity  and  quality  of  vaccines  needed.  This  was  done  by  supporting  their 
development,  encouraging  their  production,  and  procuring  their  supply.  Building  on 
the  negotiating  strength  of  27  Member  States  and  450  million  people,  the  European 
Commission  was  able  to  secure  2.3  billion  doses  as  part  of  the  broadest  portfolio  of 
safe and secure COVID-19 vaccines in the world. 

This  European  approach  will  allow  more  than  1  billion  people  in  Europe,  its 
neighborhood and beyond to be vaccinated. The already-authorised BioNTech/Pfizer 
and Moderna vaccines alone will provide doses for 380 million people, or over 80% of 
the EU’s population. The expert scrutiny of the European Medicines Agency ensures 
the  safety  of  all  vaccines.  The  EMA  is  currently  assessing  a  third  vaccine  – 
Oxford/AstraZeneca  –  with  a  decision  due  by  the  end  of  the  month.  It  has  started  a 
rolling review of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.  

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More vaccinations, more swiftly 

The  vaccination  of  Europeans  started  during  the  European  Vaccination  Days  from 
27 to  29  December  2020.  Since  then  over  13  million  doses  (12.25  million  doses  by 
BioNTech-Pfizer  and  850.000  doses  by  Moderna)  have  been  delivered  to  Member 
States based on a pro-rata population distribution key and over 5 million vaccinations 
have been administered in the EU.  

While each Member State vaccinates in line with its own strategy, it is important that 
vaccination  efforts  in  Europe  stay  largely  synchronised  –  for  health-related  and 
Single  Market  reasons  alike.  However,  early  data  suggests  significant  differences 
between Member States in the percentage of people vaccinated, ranging from above to 
2% to below 0.5%. While it is still early days, it is important to keep track of progress 
and in this spirit the Commission and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and 
Control1 will set up a system to monitor progress with vaccine deployment to support 
fast and efficient roll-out in all Member States. 

Vaccination  is  not  a  race  between  countries  but  is  a  race  against  time.  As  new 
variants  spread,  speeding  up  the  administration  of  vaccines  becomes  all  the  more 
acute. Vaccination requires a complex set of management and logistical steps, as well 
as a readiness to scale these up in line with increases in supply. These include having 
adequate stocks, effective appointment management systems, organising locations and 
facilities  for  mass  vaccination,  the  preparation  of  necessary  cold  storage,  and  the 
training of extra personnel. To support this, the Commission will work with companies 
to  develop  a  transparent  and  clear  delivery  schedule  of  the  different  vaccines.  It  has 
secured a supply line of vital medical equipment needed for vaccination via EU Joint 
Procurement, from which Member States can now place orders. 

To  ensure  an  ambitious  vaccination  effort  concrete  targets  are  essential.  What  gets 
measured gets done:  

1   ECDC has created a new dedicated reporting module in the European Surveillance System (TESSy) 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
  By March 2021, Member States should have vaccinated a minimum of 

80% of health and social care professionals and people over 80 years old.  

  By summer 2021, Member States should have vaccinated a minimum of 

70% of the adult population. 

Meeting these two targets would, in a first instance, reduce death and hospitalisation 
rates,  relieve  pressure  on  healthcare  systems  and  then  put  Europe  on  track  for  herd 
immunity, helping to protect those who cannot be vaccinated and providing a bulwark 
against the spread of the virus. A successful deployment of vaccines will also help put 
Europe’s economy on a solid recovery path. 

Ramping up vaccine production, supplies and information 

To  meet  these  objectives,  we  will  need  to  ramp  up  the  supply  of  vaccines.  The 
European  Commission  and  the  EIB  have  continuously  supported  the  increase  of 
manufacturing  capacities  in  the  EU  via  the  Advance  Purchase  Agreements  and  EIB 
loans.  They  will  continue  working  with  manufacturers  to  maximise  production 
capacity in the EU. To this end, the Commission will engage in a structured dialogue 
with the actors in the vaccine manufacturing value chain. Support may take different 
forms  such  as  investment  support  for  manufacturing  plants,  encouraging,  and 
facilitating where needed, agreements between manufacturers to repurpose facilities to 
produce  each  other’s  approved  vaccines  and  further  expand  capacities  via 
manufacturing  under  contract.  This  will  also  help  to  overcome  any  supply  chain 
issues. 

The Commission and Member States should work together with companies to ensure 
that new production comes on stream as quickly as possible. It will also work with the 
EMA to speed up the approval process for new production facilities. The ECDC will 
use  stress-testing  to  identify  successful  logistical  steps  –  such  as  how  to  set  up 
vaccination centres and how to run electronic reservation systems – to make a stock of 
good practice and practical advice available to Member States. 

To support this, EU-wide COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness studies will be 
conducted and coordinated by the EMA and ECDC. The Commission will support the 
exchange  of  scientific  information  and  good  practice,  involving  the  EU  Scientific 
Advice Platform on Covid-19. 

Clear  and  continuous  communication  on  the  importance  and  safety  of  vaccines 
remains  essential  to  address  vaccine  hesitancy  and  combat  disinformation  and 
misinformation.  

Vaccination documentation and mutual recognition 

As  more  people  are  vaccinated,  the  documentation  and  mutual  recognition  of 
vaccination become of utmost importance. Vaccination certificates allow for a clear 
record of each individual’s vaccination history, to ensure the right medical follow-up 
as  well  as  the  monitoring  of  possible  adverse  effects.  A  common  EU  approach  to 
trusted, reliable and verifiable certificates would allow people to  use their records  in 
other Member States. Though it is premature to envisage the use of vaccine certificates 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
for other purposes than health protection, an EU approach may facilitate other cross-
border applications of such certificates in the future.  

The Commission will continue to work with Member States on vaccination certificates 
which can be recognised and used in health systems across the EU in full compliance 
with EU data protection law – and scaled up globally through the certification systems 
of  the  World  Health  Organisation.  The  eHealth  Network  will  define  the  minimum 
dataset  needed for such  certificates at EU level,  including  a unique identifier and an 
appropriate  trust  framework  ensuring  privacy  and  security.  This  work  should  be 
completed  by  the  end  of  January  2021  and  presented  in  the  WHO  as  a  possible 
universal standard.  

KEY ACTIONS  

  Member States should set targets to vaccinate minimum 80% of health and social 
care professionals and people over 80 years old by March 2021 and minimum 70% 
of the total adult population by summer. 

  The  Commission,  Member  States  and  the  EMA  will  work  with  companies  to 

maximise vaccine manufacturing capacity; 

  Based  on  data  to  be  provided  by  Member  States,  the  ECDC  will  publish  latest 

information on doses delivered and administered on a twice weekly basis; 

  The  Commission  will  work  with  vaccine  manufacturers  to  publish  and  update 

delivery schedules. 

  A  common  approach  on  vaccination  certificates  to  be  agreed  by  the  end  of 
January 2021 to allow Member States’ certificates to be rapidly useable in health 
systems across the EU and beyond;  

  Commission  to  set  up  large-scale  EU-wide  COVID-19  vaccine  safety  and 

effectiveness studies. 

  ECDC  to  develop  stock  of  stress-tested  logistical  advice  for  use  by  Member 

States. 

2.  DEALING WITH VARIANTS  

The recent emergence of new variants of the virus2 is a real cause for concern. While 
currently there is no evidence that these cause more severe disease, the variants appear 
to be somewhere between 50–70 % more transmissible3. This means that the virus can 
spread  more  easily  and  more  quickly,  increasing  the  burden  on  overstretched 
healthcare systems. This is one likely cause for the substantial rises in cases in most 
Member States over recent weeks. 

2   Variant “B117”, first identified in the United Kingdom in September, and “501Y.V2”, identified in 

South Africa. 

3   ECDC  Risk  Assessment:  Risk  related  to  spread  of  new  SARS-CoV-2  variants  of  concern  in  the 

EU/EEA 

4 

 
 
 
                                                 
Figure 1. Timeline of positive COVID cases, suggesting a third wave.4  

The emergence of recent variants has also raised concerns about potential impacts on 
the  effectiveness  of  vaccines.  There  is  presently  no  evidence  that  the  variants 
decrease  the  protection  offered  by  any  of  the  vaccines  now  on  the  market  or  in 
phase III clinical trials. However, it is important to monitor the situation closely and to 
take  steps  now  to  reduce  the  development  time  that  would  be  needed  if  vaccines 
needed  to  be  modified.  Vaccine  manufacturers  should  be  ready  to  provide  the  EMA 
with relevant data to accelerate the process if needed. 

Speeding up genome sequencing 

The  speed  at  which  variants  are  identified  is  critical  to  identify  their  threat  and  the 
policy  response  needed.  Genome  sequencing  allows  the  tracking  of  changes  in  viral 
genomes, critical to understand the progress of the virus and to screen for variants. It 
can  help  to  identify  variants,  which  increase  the  risk,  either  by  faster  spreading  or 
more severe symptoms. 

The EU urgently needs to speed up sequencing. Currently only one Member State is 
testing above 1% of samples, while all others are either not sequencing enough or at 
all. This rate of sequencing is not enough to identify the progression of the variants or 
detect  new  ones.  The  ECDC  is  currently  developing  specific  guidelines  for 
sequencing, tailor-made for each new variant. Such work relies on data from genome 
sequencing being shared across the EU and with our international partners. 

4   Source: https://covid-statistics.jrc.ec.europa.eu 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Percentage of cases sequenced and published in GISAID 
Samples collected since September 2020, as of 13 January 2021 
EU/EEA and the UK 

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All  EU Member States should reach a capacity of sequencing at least 5%  - and 
preferably 10% - of positive test results. The delays in results should be minimised 
and Member States should ensure that this data be shared in a comparable form. 

The  ECDC  has  the  capacity  to  complement  and  supplement  national  genome 
sequencing capacity by  up to  18,000 virus samples. So far, only two Member States 
have  used  this  service  with  two  more  expected  to  do  so  soon.  Member  States, 
especially  those  with  no  national  capacities,  should  use  the  ECDC’s  capacity  as  a 
matter  of  urgency.  The  Commission  will  also  support  Member  States  to  increase 
capacity, for example by mobilising funds to purchase genome-sequencing equipment 
and  to  support  the  WHO  Reference  Laboratory  Network.  Existing  sequencing 
equipment  in  national  research facilities should be used to  the full. The Commission 
will  leverage  initiatives  and  resources  on  genomic  data,  Artificial  Intelligence  and 
High Performing Computers to support vital genomic data processing and analysis5 6. 

Ramping up testing 

Effective testing plays a key role in mitigating  the spread of the virus, providing the 
key information for contact tracing as well as wider trends. It also facilitates the free 
movement of people and the smooth functioning of the internal market. 

Although  RT-PCR  tests  remain  the  gold  standard,  the  use  of  Rapid  Antigen  Tests 
(RATs) should be expanded. So far, nine Member States have strategies or specific 
guidance  in  place  for  the  use  of  RATs  and  twelve  EU  Member  States  are  currently 

5   Experts  working  to  enabling  secure  cross-border  access  to  1  million  “human”  genomes  by  2022 
(1+Million  Genomes  Declaration5)  could  be  mobilized  to  facilitate  exchange  of  knowledge  and 
practices  in  processing  human  and  viral  genomic  data.  The  Joint  Research  Centre  is  collaborating 
with international sequence repositories, like GISAID, to analyse COVID-19 sequence information 
so as to understand the emergence of new variants and their detection possibilities.  

6   The project Exscalate, the world’s most powerful and comprehensive supercomputing platform for 
drug repurposing, is developing 3D protein models of the virus and is making them available via a 
dedicated data space. As part of this work, it has recently published the 3D models of mutated spike 
proteins including those originating from viral mutations in Brazil, South Africa, UK, and Denmark. 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
 
 
 
 
using  them  in  practice.  Swift  implementation  of  all  Commission  recommendations7 
and swift agreement in the Council on the common framework for rapid antigen tests 
are essential to provide the testing system required. 8 

This  is  particularly  important  in  the  context  of  new  variants.  National  testing 
strategies  need  urgent  updating  to  take  account  of  the  new  variants.  This  will 
enable  follow-up  and  quarantining  of  people  in  areas  with  a  significantly  higher 
incidence of the variant and should be accompanied by specific contact tracing. 

Further work is also needed to support mutual recognition of the results of COVID-19 
tests between Member States. The Joint Research Centre should establish a common 
list  of  RATs  and  their  uses,  as  agreed  by  Member  States  with  support  from  the  EU 
Health  Security  Committee.  The  Commission  will  work  with  Member  States  on  a 
standard set of data to be included on the test results form. The developments of other 
rapid nucleic acid-based tests to detect the virus should also be explored. 

The Commission is directly helping Member States scale up their testing capacity via 
direct  purchases,  joint  procurements  and  specific  funding.  It  is  purchasing  over 
21 million RATs for delivery to Member States by April, with €100 million from the 
Emergency  Support  Instrument  (ESI).  A  further  joint  procurement  for  rapid  antigen 
tests  has  been  launched  and  will  allow  a  much  larger  scale  of  procurement  in  the 
coming  months.  The  International  Federation  of  Red  Cross  is  supporting  Member 
States  to  increase  testing  capacity,  with  funding  from  the  Emergency  Support 
Instrument. More generally, since its adoption, the Coronavirus Response Investment 
Initiative  (CRII)  has  enabled  the  mobilisation  of  €6.8  billion  of  Cohesion  funds  for 
healthcare overall. 

KEY ACTIONS  

Sequencing 

  Member States to urgently increase genome sequencing to 5-10% of positive test 

results, if needed by using ECDC capacity; 

  Member States to share genomic sequences at EU level; 

  Commission to support Member States to increase capacity for sequencing in the 

near future. 

Testing 

  Member  States  to  implement  Commission  recommendations  and  swiftly  agree 
on the Council Recommendation on the common framework for Rapid Antigen 
Tests;  

  Member States should update testing strategies to incorporate the use of rapid 

antigen tests and develop guidance on the use of these tests; 

  Member  States  to  agree  on  a  common  list  of  Rapid  Antigen  Tests  by  end 

7   C(2020) 7502 final & C(2020) 8037 final of 18 November 2020 
8   COM(2020) 849 final of 18 December 2020 

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January; 

  Commission  and  Member  States  to  establish  a  standard  set  of  data  to  be 

included on the results form of COVID-19 tests; 

  Member  States  to  update  testing  strategies  to  reflect  the  new  variants  during 

February 2021. 

3.  PRESERVING THE SINGLE MARKET AND FREE MOVEMENT WHILE STEPPING 

UP MITIGATION MEASURES 

The  backbone  of  the  strong  European  response  to  the  COVID  pandemic  has  been 
unity  and the preservation of the function  of the Single Market. As the events  of 
March  2020  underlined,  uncoordinated  and  hasty  border  closures  and  export 
restrictions  will  not  stop  the  virus,  but  instead  weaken  the  Single  Market  and  our 
economies, and the exercise of the right to free movement within the EU.  

All Member States have implemented significant measures to control and mitigate the 
impact of the pandemic on their population. Whilst these measures come at a high cost 
for  the  economy,  social  contact,  and  people’s  well-being,  they  are  effective  in 
controlling the spread of the virus.  

Mitigation measures should be maintained until vaccination is sufficient to reduce the 
risks. However difficult this message will be for many citizens, the reality is that this 
is a necessary investment to save lives and speed up the return to a society with fewer 
restrictions.  Measures  such  as  testing,  isolation,  contact  tracing  and  quarantine  of 
individuals remain necessary tools for the time being. Communication and consistent 
messages  remain  as  essential  as  ever,  including  explaining  the  continued  need  for 
restrictive measures, such as masks or physical distancing. 

A  common  EU  approach  to  define  incidence  rates,  which  could  trigger  the 
relaxation of restrictions, would boost public confidence through tracking progress. 

Travel will continue to pose a particular challenge. All non-essential travel, especially 
to and from high risk areas, should be strongly discouraged until the epidemiological 
situation  has  considerably  improved,  particularly  in  the  light  of  the  outbreak  of  new 
variants.  

Border closures or blanket travel bans and suspension of flights, land transport 
and  water  crossings  are  not  justified,  as  more  targeted  measures  have  sufficient 
impact and cause less disruption. The system of “Green Lanes”9 should keep transport 
flows moving, in particular to ensure the free movement of goods thus avoiding supply 
chain disruptions. 

Restrictions on travel should be proportionate and non-discriminatory, in line with the 
Council  Recommendation  of  October  202010.  Proportionate  restrictions,  including 
testing of travellers, should be maintained for those travelling from areas with a higher 
incidence of variants of concern. Applicable quarantine rules should be respected and 

9    See  Communication  COM(2020)  685  final  and  Commission  Recommendation  2020/2243  of 

22 December 2020 (C/2020/9607). 

10   Council  Recommendation  (EU)  2020/1475  of  13  October  2020  on  a  coordinated  approach  to  the 

restriction of free movement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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enforced11,  with  exceptions  for  travellers  with  an  essential  function  or  need,  such  as 
transport workers, health and social care, frontline, cross-border and seasonal workers. 
The Commission will assess whether new developments, such as the newly identified 
variants  of  concerns,  require  updates  of  the  current  framework  on  coordinating 
restrictions to free movement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Measures  should  be  applied  to  further  reduce  the  risk  of  transmission  linked  to  the 
means of travel, such as hygiene and distancing measures in vehicles and terminuses. 
Testing  shortly  before  travelling  where  people  are  in  a  confined  space  with  others 
should be considered. Contact tracing remains of particular importance.  

The  Passenger  Locator  Form  exchange  platform  is  designed  to  allow  participating 
Member States to quickly identify and contact all passengers that, unknowingly, have 
been close contacts  of a positive passenger. Three Member States  –  Italy, Spain  and 
Slovakia – have already taken part in a successful pilot. 

KEY ACTIONS  

  A common EU approach on defining incidence rates should be put in place; 

  Member States should give particular attention to restrictions applying to people 
arriving  from  areas with a high  incidence of  the  new variants.  All  non-essential 
travel should be discouraged until the epidemiological situation improves; 

  Proportionate,  non-discriminatory  travel  restrictions  and  testing  of  travellers 
should be maintained, in particular from areas with a higher incidence of variants 
of concern.  

  Where  required,  quarantine  of  travellers  should  be  strictly  enforced,  with 

appropriate exceptions for travellers with an essential function or need. 

4.  ENSURING EUROPEAN LEADERSHIP AND INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY 

The COVID-19 pandemic is putting an unprecedented strain on the whole world, with 
more  than  93  million  cases  and  2  million  deaths  reported  worldwide.  This  only 
underlines  the  need  for  a  global  response  to  this  global  crisis.  Multilateralism, 
international  cooperation,  transparency  and  solidarity  must  remain  embedded  in  our 
response.  

The  EU  is  already  leading  international  efforts,  both  through  its  own  efforts  and 
through  bringing  the  key  players  together.  Since  its  launch  in  April  2020,  a  global 
recovery  package  of  €38.5  billion  delivered  under  a  common  “Team  Europe” 
approach  has  been  supporting  partner  countries  with  emergency  response  to 
humanitarian  needs,  strengthening  health  systems  and  crucial  health  services,  and 
assisting  economic  recovery  and  social  support.  Humanitarian  assistance  totalling 

11 The  Health Security Committee  is today publishing  Recommendations  for a common  EU approach 

regarding isolation for COVID-19 patients and quarantine for contacts and travellers. 

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€449  million  has  been  mobilised  in  the  form  of  medical  supplies,  medical  staff, 
logistical help12 and funding support to humanitarian organisations.  

Team  Europe  has  also  mobilised  €853  million  in  support  of  COVAX,  the  global 
initiative to ensure equitable and fair access to safe and effective vaccines.13 The EU 
as a whole is COVAX's biggest donor. 

EU Vaccine Sharing Mechanism 

As a matter of urgency, solidarity and health security in the EU and beyond, the  EU 
can and should continue stepping up efforts to ensure wider international access 
to  vaccines.  This  work  needs  to  be  undertaken  on  the  basis  of  “zero  waste”,  which 
require that recipient countries are to be sufficiently prepared.  

The  EU  will  maintain  its  support  to  COVAX,  including  the  establishment  of  a 
humanitarian buffer of about 100 million doses. COVAX remains the main route for 
supporting  Low  and  Middle  Income  Countries  to  have  fair  access  to  vaccines, 
ensuring 20% coverage in the 92 poorest countries. However, this will take time. Most 
are therefore currently reliant on EU support to provide early access to vaccines for the 
most vulnerable, for medical staff, and for other priority groups. 

Building  on  the  experience  of  the  EU’s  Vaccine  Strategy,  the  Commission  is 
ready to set up an EU vaccine sharing mechanism.  This would ensure the sharing 
of  access  to  some  of  the  2.3  billion  doses  secured  by  the  EU,  through  the  proven 
“Team  Europe”  approach.  Special  attention  would  be  given  to  the  Western  Balkans, 
our  Eastern  and  Southern  neighbourhood  and  Africa.  This  could  primarily  benefit 
health workers, as well as humanitarian needs. 

This mechanism would act as a single point for requests and a pipeline through which 
initial doses can be provided, possibly through COVAX, without disrupting Member 
States’  vaccination  plans.  Numbers  would  increase  as  supplies  of  vaccines  increase, 
and  until  COVAX  is  able  to  supply  large  enough  volumes  directly  from  companies. 
This  unprecedented  exercise  of  solidarity  needs  to  be  accompanied  by  direct 
communication  to  Europeans  and  a  dedicated  communication  campaign  in  partner 
countries to explain the principle that no one is safe until everyone is safe. 

In parallel, efforts should be intensified to increase international cooperation and solidarity 
not only to contain the current pandemic but also to prepare for the next one. The recently 
proposed new EU–US Agenda for Global Change14 will form the basis for a strong 
commitment and contribution to COVAX by both the EU and the United States. The EU-
led Trade and Health Initiative at the World Trade Organisation should facilitate the flow of 
vaccines and other medical treatments to where most needed. The Commission will explore 
all further available options to provide its partners with access to COVID-19 vaccines. The 
upcoming Global Health Summit, co-hosted by Italy and the Commission in May 2021 in 
the framework of the G20, will also provide an opportunity to rally international support to 
increase preparedness and resilience for future pandemics. 

12   For example the Humanitarian  Air Bridge, flights  financed by the  Commission to transport health 
material  and  health  staff  workers  in  the  field.  Also  used  for  the  repatriation  of  expats  in  partner 
countries. 

13 The COVAX Facility works under the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) to purchase 2 

billion doses by the end of 2021, including over 1.3 billion for development countries. 

14 JOIN(2020) 22 final 

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KEY ACTIONS  

  The  Commission  to  set  up  an  EU  Vaccine  Sharing  Mechanism  to  structure  the 
provision of vaccines shared by Member States with partner countries through a Team 
Europe approach.  

  European Commission and Member States to continue mobilising support for COVAX; 

  The EU to support efforts to strengthen the global health architecture in different fora, 

such as the upcoming Global Health Summit. 

5.  CONCLUSION 

The  coming  weeks  represent  a  great  challenge  for  the  whole  of  the  EU.  Before  the 
benefits of vaccination reach a scale to allow the lifting of restrictions, the EU faces a 
major  challenge  to  address  the  risk  posed  by  new  variants  sparking  wider  and  faster 
transmission of the virus. 

The answer lies in working together, with unity, solidarity, coordination and vigilance. 
The  EU  Vaccine  Strategy  has  shown  how  a  common  approach  bore  fruit  in  the 
delivery  of  the  vaccines  which  will  be  the  pathway  to  a  lifting  of  restrictions.  This 
should act as our common public health mission and agenda for the coming months, to 
keep  the  pandemic  under  control  until  safe  and  effective  vaccines  are  deployed  in 
sufficient scale.  

We need to maintain determination to apply the steps essential to keep the spread of 
the  virus  in  check.  And  if  we  continue  to  work  together  to  use  our  scientific 
excellence, our productive capacity, our solidarity and our values, we can ensure that 
Europeans can leave behind more quickly the constraints and hardships suffered over 
the past year and move to a solid recovery path.  

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