In June, European citizens cast their votes, paving the way for an institutional refurbishment. Around half of the new MEPs are newcomers and this will give new impetus for the forthcoming mandate.

This is a pivotal time for health policy, which will shape what healthcare will look like in the next 5-10 years. This is why prevention, and immunisation in particular, need to be on the top of the political agenda throughout the new mandate. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the impact of a Europe without vaccines and has exposed the vulnerabilities of our healthcare systems. It has also shown us that when we work together, EU institutions and national governments, public and private sectors, we can make the impossible possible, with innovation and equitable access as drivers. As our societies and economies are facing new geopolitical, demographic and climate challenges, health systems resilience still needs to be made a reality, smart investment like in immunisation is priority. Today across the EU, on average only 0.5% of healthcare budgets are dedicated to prevention [1] while for adult vaccines only, the return has been estimated up to 19 times their initial investment to society [2]. There is a mismatch and vaccines – and most importantly vaccination – are an underused while cost effective tool.

Currently, vaccines can protect against 20 infectious diseases and the industry is relentlessly researching and inventing new products and approaches to address unmet needs with one goal: improving public health. Collaboration and dialogue are not only needed at times of crisis, but they are also foundational for a vibrant vaccine ecosystem that delivers for people, communities, health systems and society.

With bold leadership in the EU institutions and a Europe that favours investment, support for innovation, faster population access to vaccines and the use of data to drive policy-making, Europe can regain its position as a leader in vaccine innovation, and help Europeans at all ages live healthier and more productive lives.

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[1] - Faivre P et al (2021). Immunization funding across 28 European countries, Expert Rev Vaccines. 20(6):639-647. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33759675/

[2] - https://www.ohe.org/publications/the-socio-economic-value-of-adult-immunisation-programmes/ 

Many immunisation rates in Germany fall short of the targets set by the WHO. Many vaccine-preventable diseases are still the reason for hospital admissions, an overall higher burden of disease and additional costs in the healthcare system. There is a clear need for improvement, particularly when it comes to vaccinations for adolescents and adults. The German government recognised this and took the COVID pandemic as an opportunity to enable people to protect themselves and have easy access to vaccination against COVID and influenza in pharmacies. A new draft law has been available since the end of June to enable additional vaccinations in pharmacies in Germany. 

Additional vaccination programmes increase vaccination rates

Implementing pharmacy-based immunisation is one way to increase vaccination rates. The number of countries in which vaccinations can be given in pharmacies doubled between 2016 and 2020.

For example, since the introduction of flu vaccinations in Irish pharmacies, there has been a steady increase in the total number of people being vaccinated. It is particularly interesting to note that the number of people who have been vaccinated by their GP or at public health centres has also increased steadily since then. As a result, Ireland met the WHO's influenza vaccination rate of 75% in 2022, with 76% of people aged 65 and over vaccinated. In Germany, the vaccination rate in the same period was 43% in the same age group, missing the WHO target as in previous years. Still, flu vaccinations in pharmacies are well received in Germany, with uptake in the 2023/2024 season increasing by around 50% compared to the previous season.

The new law must preserve the core idea of simple vaccination

Limiting the access to vaccinations at pharmacies to a selected group of adults – as it is intended now – would only increase complexity of access to vaccination for people. Instead, straightforward and broad access to all to recommended vaccinations at pharmacies should be the goal, as this would ensure that everyone benefits equally from important and innovative vaccinations.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Hepatitis B are among the most important infections associated with cancer. Every year, there are 53,000 new cervical cancer cases attributed to HPV and 60,000 deaths due to liver cancer, for which Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor. In 2018, around 13% of cancers diagnosed globally were attributed to carcinogenic infections.  

The EU is stepping up action to prevent these cancers through immunisation. The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) has adopted a Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers as part of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. We welcome this text, which contains recommendations for raising the vaccination levels against HPV and HBV, countering misinformation via enhanced communication campaigns, monitoring vaccine coverage rates via electronic registries and strengthening the links between vaccination, screening and cancer registries.

EU Member States are recommended to introduce or strengthen the implementation of HPV and HBV vaccination programmes as part of national immunisation programmes. This includes providing vaccination free of charge or fully reimbursed and promoting uptake for at-risk groups. Recommended measures to boost uptake include implementing or strengthening invitation, reminder and vaccine catch-up systems for HPV vaccination, as well as providing vaccines in educational settings.

As we have previously urged, the Recommendation promotes measures to improve the quality of data and the sharing of best practices. The text calls for ensuring structured and reusable digital data on vaccination and monitoring of uptake through unfragmented electronic vaccination repositories. In addition, the Council recommends identifying and sharing best practices through fora such as the Commission’s Public Health Expert Group and through targeted calls on the Best Practice Portal. 

In the framework of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, the European Commission aims for the full vaccination of at least 90% of girls by 2030 and a significant increase in the vaccination of boys against HPV, while also facilitating vaccination against HBV.

EU elections: a stronger EPP and more Eurosceptics 

With a turnout of 51%, over 180 million people across the EU have voted to elect their 720 representatives in the European Parliament for the next five years. The European People’s Party (EPP) has strengthened its lead in the new assembly with 186 seats, while the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) have maintained their second place with 135 seats. Renew Europe has lost over a fifth of its seats and is now down to 79.

The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) have slightly strengthened and now have 77 seats. The Greens/EFA lost almost a third of their seats and are now down to 53, while the Left is more or less stable with 36 seats. That leaves Identity and Democracy (ID) with 58 seats, 45 seats for the Non-Inscrits (from parties not belonging to any group in the previous Parliament), and 51 new unaffiliated MEPs who may join different groups. These numbers might still change as discussions are ongoing about the final composition of the European parliamentary groups.

In contrast with 2019, health was prioritised in many of the political parties’ manifestos this year, notably those of the EPP, S&D, Greens and Left. However, Vaccines Europe regrets that immunisation does not feature prominently, despite the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. As detailed in our manifesto, Vaccines Europe calls on the EU to set life course immunisation targets, invest in vaccination and foster an environment supportive of research, development and manufacturing of vaccines. An EU Immunisation Strategy promoting such actions would pay huge dividends for innovation, health and prosperity in Europe.

Next month, the new Parliament will elect its president and vice-presidents, as well as constitute its committees. MEPs will have a key role in questioning the candidate commissioners and approving the next European Commission as a whole. In the past, the Parliament has also been able to block individual candidate commissioners considered inappropriate from taking office. The new batch of MEPs will also be crucial in amending and approving legislative proposals from the Commission over the next five years. 

HERA will create a European Vaccine Development Hub with funding from the EU4Health programme. As detailed in HERA's 2024 Work Plan, the Hub would aim to expedite the development, production and distribution of vaccines by fostering collaboration and innovation.

The Hub will develop a strategic vaccine plan for Europe and deliver on creating vaccines for priority pathogens. This decentralised system will involve development centres of excellence bundling critical knowledge and ever-warm capacities for clinical trials, created within the partnership on pandemic preparedness, in collaboration with the EU clinical trial networks. 

HERA will prepare libraries of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies with the aim of establishing a readily available arsenal of tools that can be quickly deployed during a health crisis. The call for proposals was launched on 23 May to run until 5 September. It will have a budget of 102 million euros.  

EU launches Critical Medicines Alliance to tackle shortages 

The Critical Medicines Alliance (CMA) was officially launched on the margins of a meeting of EU health ministers on 24 April. The CMA is a consultative platform set to operate for an initial 5-year term and aims to strengthen the supply of critical medicines, including vaccines, in the EU and address shortages. Vaccines Europe is among the around 250 participating representatives of industry, Member States, patients, consumers, healthcare professionals and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The Alliance supports timely and equal access to medicines, addressing regulatory, industrial and competitiveness aspects. It operates through two thematic working groups meeting monthly to develop recommendations on addressing shortages of critical medicines and enhancing global supply chain resilience for critical medicines. The first working group will focus on strengthening the EU’s manufacturing capacity, while the second will concentrate on enhancing global supply chain resilience for critical medicines. 

The first official Union list of critical medicines, published in December 2023, includes over 20 different vaccines. The list will be expanded later this year and annually updated after 2025. The CMA will also develop strategic recommendations to address and avoid shortages with the first expected to be published in autumn 2024.