1. Vaccination campaigns around Europe have brought about significant progress in the

fight against COVID-19. Nevertheless the situation in some Member States remains

very serious. In order to further increase vaccination rates throughout the Union, efforts

to overcome vaccine hesitancy should be stepped up, including by tackling

disinformation, notably on social media platforms. It is necessary to remain vigilant

regarding the emergence and spread of possible new variants.

2. In light of the development of the epidemiological situation, the European Council calls

for further coordination to facilitate free movement within, and travel into, the EU, and

for a revision of the two Council recommendations. It encourages the Commission to

accelerate its work regarding mutual recognition of certificates with third countries.

3. Based on the experiences of the COVID-19 crisis, the EU’s resilience to and horizontal

preparedness for crises must be strengthened. To ensure better prevention of,

preparedness for and response to future health emergencies in the EU, the European

Council calls for the conclusion of the negotiations on the Health Union legislative

package and for ensuring that Member States are adequately involved in the governance

of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA). It recalls the

need to swiftly take work forward on access to medicines across Member States.

4. The European Council reiterates the EU’s continued commitment to contributing to the

international response to the pandemic and to ensuring access to vaccines for all. It calls

for the rapid removal of obstacles hampering the global roll-out of vaccines, and invites

the Commission to further engage directly with manufacturers in this respect. This will

allow Member States to speed up the delivery of vaccines to countries most in need. The

EU will continue to support the production and uptake of vaccines in partner countries.

5. In the context of the upcoming G20 meeting and in view of the special session of the

World Health Assembly in November, the European Council underlines its support for a

strong, central role of the World Health Organization in future global health governance

and for the objective of agreeing an international treaty on pandemics.