“We should possibly think about a mandatory vaccination in the EU,” said von der Leyen on Wednesday in Brussels. The qualified doctor justified this with the spread of the new Omikron variant and the fact that a third of EU citizens, around 150 million people, have not yet been vaccinated against the virus.
The compulsory vaccination is “a discussion that needs to be conducted,” said von der Leyen. A common approach in the Member States is needed. The decision, however, is the responsibility of the respective national governments.
“We have the life-saving vaccines, but they are not used in sufficient quantities everywhere,” said the CDU politician. This would result in enormous healthcare costs for society.
Austria was the first EU country to agree on a general vaccination requirement from February. For Germany, the Federal Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz announced on Tuesday a legislative procedure for a general vaccination requirement. According to him, it could be initiated this year.
The pandemic will also be a topic at the EU summit on December 16 and 17. On Wednesday, the EU Commission also called on national governments to introduce “targeted and proportionate preventive and restrictive measures”. These should be discussed at EU level. Because of the “presumably highly contagious omicron variant”, great caution should be exercised, according to von der Leyen. The main travel restrictions should be checked daily.
Source From: Nachrichten
