COVID-19 vaccines are being fast-tracked, without compromising quality, safety and efficacy.
As vaccines against COVID-19 are developed and become available to the population, misinformation on the safety and approval processes of these has fast spread across online platforms.
The EU is working with experts and scientists to secure a safe and effective vaccines for Europeans, following the same rigorous standards as for any other medicine.
What's the difference?
Misinformation is false information which was created or spread unintentionally. Disinformation is also false information but deliberately made up with the purpose of causing harm.
The EU is committed to protecting societies, citizens and freedoms against hybrid threats, including misinformation and disinformation actions, as underlined in the Strategic Agenda for 2019-2024. The goal is to enhance cooperation in detecting, preventing and countering attacks, while strengthening resilience to these threats.
In December 2020, the Council adopted conclusions which call for further enhanced responses at EU level to counter hybrid threats, including disinformation. It acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic makes the EU and its member states more vulnerable to hybrid threats.
The COVID-19 pandemic made clear that intensified efforts are needed to protect the European Union, its Member States and their societies and the EU institutions from hybrid threats and their harmful effects. We must protect our democratic societies and institutions from such threats, notably by enhancing our resilience and further strengthening our tools at EU and Member State level.
Markus Kerber, German presidency to the Council
It its conclusions, the Council highlighted that the EU approach to addressing disinformation is multidisciplinary and involves multiple stakeholders. It called for a further strengthening of the strategic communication task forces within the EU External Action Service and of the rapid alert system with a view to developing a comprehensive platform for member states and EU institutions.
EU ministers invited the Commission to develop and eventually implement additional transparency requirements for online platforms. The aim of such requirements would be to promote a well-functioning digital public sphere, develop greater accountability and enhance transparency in addressing disinformation.
Working with online platforms has resulted, among others, in Google blocking or removing over 2.3 million coronavirus-related ads and Facebook taking out over 28,000 pieces of COVID-19 related content from its platform and Instagram.
In the context of growing disinformation activity related to the COVID-19 outbreak, EU institutions have worked to raise awareness of dangers of disinformation and promoted the use of authoritative sources. In addition, the EU has encouraged online platforms to contribute to the fight against fake news and other misinformation attempts by removing illegal or false contents.
The European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy released a joint communication 'Tackling COVID-19 disinformation - Getting the facts right' on 10 June 2020 to propose concrete actions to increase the resilience of the EU against the disinformation challenge. These include stepping up EU support to fact-checkers and researchers, strengthening of the EU's strategic communications capacities and enhancing cooperation with international partners, while ensuring freedom of expression and plurality.
The EUvsDisinfo project by the European External Action Service aims to increase public awareness and understanding of the Kremlin’s disinformation operations.
Know your sources. Know your facts.
Alongside the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, an ‘infodemic’, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) described it, is spreading. The overabundance of information, some false or inaccurate, about the virus, its origin and effects, as well as about the action of authorities to tackle the pandemic, is making it difficult for people to find reliable sources and guidance they need.
The Commission has gathered a list of facts to dispel myths about the coronavirus pandemic and the response by the EU and help people distinguish facts from fake stories. The webpage also includes information and guidance on how to recognise online bots and identify conspiracy theories.
The World Health Organisation has compiled information about some of the most widely spread myths about the coronavirus pandemic.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), who coordinates the approval and supervision of medicines in the EU, has listed some of the key facts about the development and approval of COVID-19 vaccines. The European vaccination information portal also provides facts and information about the EU strategy for COVID-19 vaccines and the benefits of vaccination for individuals and the community.
The list below offers a selection of information sources in the EU and beyond as well as from relevant EU and international organisations.
National information resources on COVID-19
For the latest information and guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic, the list of the official websites of national authorities and public health agencies in Europe can be found on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control website.
Official updated information about national measures by EU countries, Norway, Iceland and the UK:
International organisations:
EU institutions and bodies:
The Council offers subscription to the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak. The Council Library provides access to reliable sources which can be found through the catalogue Eureka.
Criminals use the pandemic to carry out various scams and attacks. They exploit demand for information and supplies and target the vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure.
Criminal activities include:
Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, collects information from EU member states and publishes regular reports on how criminals are adapting their crimes to exploit the coronavirus pandemic.