A tense subject.
While France has launched its booster vaccination campaign - and is trying by all means to convince the six million French people who have not had their first dose, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, estimated Wednesday that the European Union should now have a "discussion" on compulsory vaccination.
It is “appropriate and reasonable to have this discussion now,” making it clear that this was a “personal position,” said Ursula von der Leyen.
“It requires a common approach but I think it's a discussion that needs to take place,” she added.
To stop the outbreak of the pandemic, Austria, the first EU country to decide, is preparing a law to impose vaccination on the adult population on February 1, 2022. Germany announced on Tuesday that compulsory vaccination would do so. the subject of a bill submitted to parliament before the end of the year.
"It is not the choice of France"
In France, "the vaccination obligation is not the choice that the country has made", reminded the Minister of Health Olivier Véran on Wednesday.
Ursula von der Leyen also clarified that the decision on compulsory vaccination rests with the Member States.
Regarding the vaccination of children, the head of the European executive announced that the version of the anti-Covid vaccine from BioNTech / Pfizer for this category would be accelerated and that it would be "available from December 13" in the EU.
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She said she had this information from the German-American manufacturer, which supplies the most widely used vaccine in the 27 Member States, during a press conference devoted to the development of the pandemic and the appearance of the Omicron variant.
According to the President of the Commission, it will take “around 100 days” for the scientific community to adapt the vaccine response to this new variant.