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The only member state of the European Union that has so far come up with a law on compulsory vaccination against covid-19 is Austria. However, several other states are considering the same step.
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According to European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, the leaders of the member states have an “opportunity” to talk about compulsory vaccination at the European Council summit, which will take place on 16 and 17 December in Brussels.
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“These are topics that we need to discuss because they are already happening. The scope of compulsory vaccination is growing. Some countries like Austria do it brutally, others like Italy, Portugal or Greece indirectly, “Schinase quoted the server as saying Euractiv.
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According to Schinas, Von der Leyen weighed her words very carefully last week when she spoke of the need for compulsory vaccination. “But she did not say that the European Union would issue a regulation that would force compulsory vaccination throughout the EU,” Schinas said, adding that the head of the Commission had just opened a debate on the sensitive issue. Von der Leyen herself described the words about the need for compulsory vaccination as her personal opinion.
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The EU commissioner said he saw considerable scope for expanding vaccination in the Member States. “But I repeat, it should not be ordered by Brussels – it is something that must be judged in a national context and assessed by judges according to the constitutional reality of our member states,” Schinas added. However, he is convinced of the need for vaccination as a way to end the pandemic: “Unvaccinated Europeans should be vaccinated and those vaccinated should receive a booster dose,” he said.
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According to the European Commissioner, people who refuse to be vaccinated “come up with various conspiracy theories to justify their refusal”.
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According to political scientist and EU expert Jan Kovář from the Institute of International Relations, a discussion will take place at the summit, which will probably not bring concrete results. “The European Union does not even have the competence to order compulsory vaccination,” he said, adding that there was no consensus among the leaders of the 27 on compulsory vaccination.
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Kovář considers the words about compulsory vaccination from the head of the Commission to be understandable, but on the other hand he also warns them against wasting political capital: It will only stir up the disinformation debate, “said the News List.
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According to an EU source who did not want to be appointed, the prime ministers and presidents will discuss the covid situation in individual states, and those who want to introduce compulsory vaccination will present its benefits. There should also be talk of coordinating measures with regard to the new omicron mutation, a common approach to the third dose vaccination and the validity of vaccination certificates. According to Kovář, there is a clear common interest in these areas – in contrast to the issue of compulsory vaccination.
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The Czech Republic should be represented at the summit by the resigned Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, unless a new government is appointed by then. This is after Friday’s statement by President Milos Zeman, who refuses to name Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, does not seem very likely.
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In Austria, fines of up to 3,600 euros
The Austrian government introduced a law on compulsory vaccination on Thursday. He reckons that those who refuse vaccinations can receive fines of up to 3,600 euros (about 94,000 crowns). Vaccination should apply to all citizens over the age of 14, except pregnant women, cured of coronavirus and people who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons.
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The Austrian government has also agreed with the opposition, with the exception of the populist Free (FPÖ), which says “pressure and dehumanization”.
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Mandatory vaccinations are also planned in Germany, where covid vaccines are still avoided by ten million people. The government therefore wants to introduce a law in the Bundestag by the end of the year that would make vaccination mandatory from February or March next year. The measure is supported by the new chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as fines for those who would not respect the law.
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Greece then announced at the end of November that vaccination would be mandatory for all citizens over the age of 60 from 16 January. If they resist, they will be fined 100 euros for each month without the vaccine. “It’s an award for our health,” said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who has about half a million unvaccinated people in the country.
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The Polish government is also planning mandatory vaccinations for doctors, teachers and members of the armed forces from March.
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Extending the vaccination obligation to the whole population could make it possible to “drastically reduce the circulation of the virus”, she estimated for the server. France 24 epidemiologist Catherine Hill. “Unvaccinated people are much more prone to covid-19 than vaccinated people,” she added.
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The same finding was made by the management of Drees, the directorate of the French central public administration: “The number of events related to covid-19 (positive tests, hospitalizations, deaths) is much higher in unvaccinated people,” the statement said.
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However, French Health Minister Olivier Véran does not plan to vaccinate. According to him, the feasibility of such a measure, including the punishment of those who do not respect it, is not realistic.
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We apologize for the mistake, the original version of the text lacked a specification of which professions are subject to compulsory vaccination in Poland.
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