Welcome to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcasts.

Today we'll be talking about COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and how the EU can counter

some of the doubts and fears they raise among citizens. Keep listening.

Normally, vaccine development takes years, sometimes even decades.

With COVID-19, it's taken months.

Scientists say this record time is the result of an unprecedented effort by the medical and scientific communities

combined with a large injection of money from public authorities and the farmer industry.

For the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,

vaccination is about self-protection and solidarity.

But for many people, it's also about trust.

Only with trust and with transparency about the process.

Will we overcome any doubts or disinformation?

Some worry about the potential side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines,

others about the speed in which they've reached the market.

And there's also those who share the theories of anti-vaccination movements

and are on principle opposed to any type of vaccine.

Polls show that many in the EU are hesitant or even opposed to vaccination in general.

And when it's about COVID-19 vaccination, surveys show that Europeans are among the most skeptical in the world.

The question is why?

Well, I wish we had a clear answer.

According to the World Health Organization,

vaccine hesitancy is a complex phenomenon which depends on the context,

...