BETA


2017/2951(RSP) Resolution on vaccine hesitancy and the drop in vaccination rates in Europe

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead ENVI SOMMER Renate (icon: PPE PPE), GENTILE Elena (icon: S&D S&D), PIECHA Bolesław G. (icon: ECR ECR), MEISSNER Gesine (icon: ALDE ALDE), AFFRONTE Marco (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), D'ORNANO Mireille (icon: EFDD EFDD)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 136-p5

Events

2018/08/30
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2018/04/19
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2018/04/19
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted a resolution tabled by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety on vaccine hesitancy and the drop in vaccination rates in Europe.

Parliament noted that vaccination prevents an estimated 2.5 million deaths each year worldwide and reduces disease-specific treatment costs, including antimicrobial treatments. Accordingly, it noted with concern that epidemiological data on the current vaccination situation in Member States show important gaps in the acceptance of vaccines and that the vaccination coverage rates necessary to ensure adequate protection are insufficient. Members were concerned that growing and widespread vaccine hesitancy has assumed worrying proportions. In this connection, it pointed out that Europe is currently facing avoidable measles outbreaks in a number of countries owing to vaccine hesitancy.

The resolution called on Member States and the Commission to reinforce the legal basis for immunisation coverage . It pointed out that, according to objective 1 of the European Vaccine Action Plan 2015–2020, introducing an appropriate legislative framework is crucial to defining national priorities.

Increasing coverage : Parliament called on the Commission to:

facilitate a more harmonised and better aligned schedule for vaccination across the EU, to share best practices, to explore, together with Member States, options for establishing an EU platform for the monitoring of the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, to ensure even coverage across Europe, to reduce health inequalities and to help boost trust in vaccines; establish targeted vaccination initiatives , such as a ‘European influenza vaccination day’, which could be used each year to launch the vaccination campaign in line with the 75 % coverage target laid down in the Council recommendations on seasonal influenza.

It welcomed the forthcoming launch of a Joint Action co-funded by the EU’s Health Programme aimed at increasing vaccination coverage.

Testing and assessment: Members pointed out that vaccines are rigorously tested through multiple stages of trials before being prequalified by the WHO and approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and regularly reassessed. Recalling that researchers must declare any conflicts of interest, Parliament proposed that researchers subject to a conflict of interest be excluded from evaluation panels. In addition:

the confidentiality of the deliberations of the EMA’s evaluation panel should be lifted; the scientific and clinical data which inform the conclusions of the panel, and whose anonymity is guaranteed in advance, should be made public.

Transparency : noting the importance of transparency in building and maintaining public trust in medicines, Parliament called for greater transparency in:

the production of vaccines and for measures to reassure European citizens; the process of evaluating vaccines and their adjuvants, and the funding of independent research programmes on their possible side- effects.

Public awareness : Members emphasised the need to provide citizens with inclusive, factual and science-based information. They called for dialogue with stakeholders from civil society, grassroots movements, academia, the media and national health authorities in order to combat unreliable, misleading and unscientific information on vaccination.

Procurement of vaccines : Parliament was concerned at the limited budget allocated specifically to vaccination in some Member States, as well as the high prices and wide variations in price of some life-saving vaccines. It strongly supported the Joint Procurement Agreement, which gives Member States and the Commission a framework to jointly procure vaccines, thereby pooling the purchasing power of Member States.

Members noted that the cost of a full vaccines package for one child, even at the lowest global prices, increased by a factor of 68 between 2001 and 2014. This price increase was held to be unjustifiable and incompatible with the Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing at all ages.

Documents
2018/04/19
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2018/04/18
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2018/04/18
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2018/04/18
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2018/04/16
   EP - Oral question/interpellation by Parliament
Documents
2018/04/16
   EP - Oral question/interpellation by Parliament
Documents
2018/01/31
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2017/10/25
   EP - SOMMER Renate (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2017/10/25
   EP - GENTILE Elena (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2017/10/25
   EP - PIECHA Bolesław G. (ECR) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2017/10/25
   EP - MEISSNER Gesine (ALDE) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2017/10/25
   EP - AFFRONTE Marco (Verts/ALE) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2017/10/25
   EP - D'ORNANO Mireille (EFDD) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI

Documents

Activities

Votes

B8-0188/2018 - § 11 19/04/2018 12:39:37.000 #

2018/04/19 Outcome: +: 306, -: 263, 0: 9
IT ES SE BE PT DE LT NL RO CZ EE DK EL CY BG AT IE LU MT FI HR SI FR LV GB HU SK PL
Total
59
37
16
18
19
73
10
22
28
17
5
8
5
1
12
18
10
3
5
8
10
6
61
7
55
13
9
41
icon: S&D S&D
149

Netherlands S&D

2

Denmark S&D

2

Greece S&D

1

Cyprus S&D

For (1)

1

Bulgaria S&D

For (1)

1

Ireland S&D

For (1)

1

Malta S&D

2

Finland S&D

Against (1)

1

Croatia S&D

2

Latvia S&D

1

Hungary S&D

2

Slovakia S&D

2
icon: ALDE ALDE
56

Sweden ALDE

2

Portugal ALDE

1

Germany ALDE

2

Romania ALDE

2

Estonia ALDE

3

Denmark ALDE

Abstain (1)

2

Austria ALDE

For (1)

1

Ireland ALDE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Finland ALDE

2

Croatia ALDE

For (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

1

United Kingdom ALDE

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
45

Italy Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Croatia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Slovenia Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

France Verts/ALE

Against (1)

6

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5

Hungary Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
35

Italy GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

3

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

For (1)

3

Denmark GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

2

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

France GUE/NGL

2

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1
icon: EFDD EFDD
35

Sweden EFDD

2

Germany EFDD

Against (1)

1

Lithuania EFDD

For (1)

1

Czechia EFDD

Against (1)

1

Poland EFDD

1
icon: NI NI
8

Greece NI

Against (1)

1

France NI

Against (1)

1

United Kingdom NI

Against (1)

1

Hungary NI

Abstain (1)

3

Poland NI

2
icon: ENF ENF
30

Belgium ENF

Against (1)

1

Germany ENF

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ENF

2

Poland ENF

2
icon: ECR ECR
51

Italy ECR

Against (1)

1

Belgium ECR

2

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

2

Romania ECR

2

Czechia ECR

2

Denmark ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

Against (1)

1

Finland ECR

Against (1)

1

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Slovakia ECR

Against (1)

1
icon: PPE PPE
167

Sweden PPE

1

Belgium PPE

For (1)

3

Lithuania PPE

2

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Greece PPE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

2

Slovenia PPE

Abstain (1)

4

United Kingdom PPE

Against (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
101 2017/2951(RSP)
2018/01/31 ENVI 101 amendments...
source: 616.893

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

events/0/docs
  • url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-8-2018-04-18-TOC_EN.html title: Debate in Parliament
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KONEČNÁ Kateřina
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2017-10-25T00:00:00
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European United Left - Nordic Green Left
abbr
GUE/NGL
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ENVI
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  • date: 2018-04-19T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=31031&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2018-0188 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T8-0188/2018 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
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committees/0
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Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
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date
committee_full
Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
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docs
  • date: 2018-01-31T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE616.893 title: PE616.893 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
  • date: 2018-04-16T00:00:00 docs: title: B8-0011/2018 type: Oral question/interpellation by Parliament body: EP
  • date: 2018-04-16T00:00:00 docs: title: B8-0012/2018 type: Oral question/interpellation by Parliament body: EP
  • date: 2018-04-18T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B8-2018-0188&language=EN title: B8-0188/2018 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
  • date: 2018-04-18T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B8-2018-0195&language=EN title: B8-0195/2018 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
  • date: 2018-08-30T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=31031&j=0&l=en title: SP(2018)401 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
events
  • date: 2018-04-18T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20180418&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2018-04-19T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=31031&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2018-04-19T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2018-0188 title: T8-0188/2018 summary: The European Parliament adopted a resolution tabled by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety on vaccine hesitancy and the drop in vaccination rates in Europe. Parliament noted that vaccination prevents an estimated 2.5 million deaths each year worldwide and reduces disease-specific treatment costs, including antimicrobial treatments. Accordingly, it noted with concern that epidemiological data on the current vaccination situation in Member States show important gaps in the acceptance of vaccines and that the vaccination coverage rates necessary to ensure adequate protection are insufficient. Members were concerned that growing and widespread vaccine hesitancy has assumed worrying proportions. In this connection, it pointed out that Europe is currently facing avoidable measles outbreaks in a number of countries owing to vaccine hesitancy. The resolution called on Member States and the Commission to reinforce the legal basis for immunisation coverage . It pointed out that, according to objective 1 of the European Vaccine Action Plan 2015–2020, introducing an appropriate legislative framework is crucial to defining national priorities. Increasing coverage : Parliament called on the Commission to: facilitate a more harmonised and better aligned schedule for vaccination across the EU, to share best practices, to explore, together with Member States, options for establishing an EU platform for the monitoring of the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, to ensure even coverage across Europe, to reduce health inequalities and to help boost trust in vaccines; establish targeted vaccination initiatives , such as a ‘European influenza vaccination day’, which could be used each year to launch the vaccination campaign in line with the 75 % coverage target laid down in the Council recommendations on seasonal influenza. It welcomed the forthcoming launch of a Joint Action co-funded by the EU’s Health Programme aimed at increasing vaccination coverage. Testing and assessment: Members pointed out that vaccines are rigorously tested through multiple stages of trials before being prequalified by the WHO and approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and regularly reassessed. Recalling that researchers must declare any conflicts of interest, Parliament proposed that researchers subject to a conflict of interest be excluded from evaluation panels. In addition: the confidentiality of the deliberations of the EMA’s evaluation panel should be lifted; the scientific and clinical data which inform the conclusions of the panel, and whose anonymity is guaranteed in advance, should be made public. Transparency : noting the importance of transparency in building and maintaining public trust in medicines, Parliament called for greater transparency in: the production of vaccines and for measures to reassure European citizens; the process of evaluating vaccines and their adjuvants, and the funding of independent research programmes on their possible side- effects. Public awareness : Members emphasised the need to provide citizens with inclusive, factual and science-based information. They called for dialogue with stakeholders from civil society, grassroots movements, academia, the media and national health authorities in order to combat unreliable, misleading and unscientific information on vaccination. Procurement of vaccines : Parliament was concerned at the limited budget allocated specifically to vaccination in some Member States, as well as the high prices and wide variations in price of some life-saving vaccines. It strongly supported the Joint Procurement Agreement, which gives Member States and the Commission a framework to jointly procure vaccines, thereby pooling the purchasing power of Member States. Members noted that the cost of a full vaccines package for one child, even at the lowest global prices, increased by a factor of 68 between 2001 and 2014. This price increase was held to be unjustifiable and incompatible with the Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing at all ages.
  • date: 2018-04-19T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/health-and-food-safety_en title: Health and Food Safety commissioner: ANDRIUKAITIS Vytenis Povilas
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Vaccine hesitancy and drop in vaccination rates in Europe
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  • body: EP responsible: True committee: ENVI date: 2017-10-25T00:00:00 2017-10-25T00:00:00 2017-10-25T00:00:00 2017-10-25T00:00:00 2017-10-25T00:00:00 2017-10-25T00:00:00 2017-10-25T00:00:00 committee_full: Environment, Public Health and Food Safety rapporteur: group: EPP name: SOMMER Renate group: S&D name: GENTILE Elena group: ECR name: PIECHA Bolesław G. group: ALDE name: MEISSNER Gesine group: GUE/NGL name: KONEČNÁ Kateřina group: Verts/ALE name: AFFRONTE Marco group: EFD name: D'ORNANO Mireille
links
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  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/health-and-food-safety_en title: Health and Food Safety commissioner: ANDRIUKAITIS Vytenis Povilas
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dossier_of_the_committee
ENVI/8/11391
reference
2017/2951(RSP)
title
Vaccine hesitancy and drop in vaccination rates in Europe
legal_basis
Rules of Procedure EP 128-p5
stage_reached
Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage
subtype
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type
RSP - Resolutions on topical subjects
subject
4.20.01 Medicine, diseases