Analyse
The claim aligns with the EU’s official policy at the time, which prioritized **accelerating vaccine production, securing deliveries, and deploying doses** to member states amid supply shortages and rising cases. Scientific evidence in 2021 overwhelmingly supported vaccination as the primary exit strategy from the pandemic, reducing severe disease and transmission. The EU Commission’s contracts with manufacturers (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna) and the **EU Vaccines Strategy** (June 2020) explicitly aimed to address these goals. No contradictory evidence or misrepresentation is found in the statement itself.
Achtergrond
By early 2021, the EU faced criticism for slower vaccine rollouts compared to the U.S. and UK, partly due to supply chain delays and contractual disputes with AstraZeneca. Von der Leyen’s remarks came during a period of urgent policy action, including the **activation of the EU’s emergency support instrument** and negotiations to boost production capacity. The statement also echoed WHO and ECDC guidance emphasizing vaccination as key to pandemic recovery.
Samenvatting verdict
Ursula von der Leyen’s 2021 statement accurately reflected the EU’s COVID-19 vaccine strategy and the scientific consensus on vaccination as a critical tool to control the pandemic.