The EU aims to vaccinate 70% of adults by June

The European Union is aiming to vaccinate 70 percent of its adult population against the coronavirus by June, European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said at a press conference on Tuesday. The plan has been agreed by all EU commissioners.

The block started vaccination three weeks ago and has so far approved two vaccines, the one from BioNTech/Pfizer and the one from Moderna. But the pace of vaccination is lagging behind countries such as the US, Great Britain, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said that under the EU's joint purchasing strategy, there would be enough doses to vaccinate 80 percent of the EU's population of 450 million.

She admitted, however, that "the vaccination process must be accelerated".

While the vice president of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, said that "by summer, the member countries must have vaccinated a minimum of 70 percent of the adult population". He said that this should happen before June 1.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement that meeting the 70 percent target within the next four months could be "a turning point in our fight against this virus."