EU Faces Moment of Truth on Astra Vaccine: Brussels Edition

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.

The EU hopes to move on from its latest vaccine fiasco today. The European Medicines Agency will issue updated guidance on the safety of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 shot after countries across the bloc unilaterally halted its use over concerns about the risk of blood clotting. A positive assessment seems likely as the regulator has consistently backed the vaccine and the World Health Organization yesterday said that its benefits outweigh any risks. But a wave of vaccine skepticism suggests damage may have already been done. Take Italy, for example, where thousands of people ditched vaccine appointments after safety concerns were raised. It highlights just how political — and delicate — the vaccine rollout in Europe has become as the region struggles to ramp up the pace in an effort to immunize 70% of adults by the end of September.