European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday promised EU countries will start their coronavirus vaccination programs together later this month.
But it’s not clear such a well orchestrated effort will be possible.
With the first coronavirus vaccine expected to be approved in Europe within days, von der Leyen declared December 27, 28 and 29 as the EU vaccination days for rolling out protections against COVID-19.
Leaders hope this will deliver an important public relations boost after the speedier emergency authorizations in the U.K. and U.S., which have left the EU lagging other parts of the world on starting to administer the shots.
But Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told local media Thursday that Denmark would go ahead as soon as the vaccine arrives: “Even though I am a big supporter of coordination at European level, the vaccine must be run out and distributed the moment it hits Danish soil,” she said.
The Netherlands, by contrast, said it only plans to start vaccinating on January 8 due to issues getting the nation’s registration system ready.
“I know von der Leyen wants everyone to hold hands while we start vaccinating simultaneously,” said an EU diplomat. “[But it’s] questionable whether member states can sell delaying a roll-out to their citizens if everything’s in place to start vaccinating.”
EU countries, which are jointly purchasing vaccines together, want to make a public display of solidarity by having the immunizations begin simultaneously. Leaders even discussed the plans at their summit last week in Brussels.
Despite frustration from Poland and Hungary at the summit, von der Leyen urged all EU countries to wait for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) conditional marketing authorization. The process requires more time than the U.K. and U.S. emergency approvals, but it offers a more robust review and buy-in from all member countries.
However, national politicians are getting increasingly antsy.
Health ministers from both Germany and Italy increased the pressure this week with outspoken demands for the EU to hurry up and sign off on the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, at the most advanced stage of approval.
The EMA said Tuesday that European scientists will meet a week earlier than planned, on December 21, to determine whether to recommend the BioNTech/Pfizer shot.
On Thursday, it also moved up the date for its review of the Moderna jab, from January 12 to January 6.
If the EMA recommends the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, the Commission could sign off within two days, and deliveries could start on December 26. This would allow countries to start vaccinating by von der Leyen’s envisioned December 27-29 timeline.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said the country plans to start on December 27, and Belgium will speed things up to be ready by then.
But it’s possible countries could physically get the vaccine more quickly. One EU diplomat said BioNTech/Pfizer told EU countries they could deliver the vaccine within 24 hours of the Commission’s approval, which would mean they could start delivering on December 24.
BioNTech and Pfizer didn’t respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Even though there isn’t unity on the exact “V-Day” for vaccinations to begin, eight European countries — Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland — signed a declaration on December 15, seen by POLITICO, saying they would coordinate certain parts of their vaccination campaigns.
They agreed to “promote a coordinated beginning of the vaccination campaigns,” share information on “lessons learned” during the campaigns, and join efforts on fighting disinformation.
The document also calls for ensuring clear communication with the public, adopting common guidelines for cross-border workers, and designating a contact point in each national competent authority.
None of the signatories agreed to begin vaccinations on the same day.
Some EU leaders say all that matters is that the vaccine leaves the factories for all EU countries on the same day — not when they start actually vaccinating.
“What is important is that all Europeans would have access to the vaccine on the same day,” Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas told Euronews on Wednesday. “Then, national vaccination plans would start to kick in and then each member state will organize their own national procedures.”
The announcement by the Dutch government on Thursday that it would begin vaccinating January 8 prompted an emergency parliament hearing to debate why the country lags behind its neighbors.
Other countries, such as Hungary, have yet to publicly announce their vaccination plans.
Other steps could become uncoordinated as well, as it’s up to each EU country to determine who will get the vaccine first. Some have said they will prioritize vulnerable populations, which the U.K. has done by vaccinating the elderly first. Others could choose health care workers.
David M. Herszenhorn contributed to this article.