Moment of truth for EU chief Von der Leyen
Sean O Grady@ SeanOGrady Associate Editor of the Independent.
02 Feb 2021 European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen gestures as she meets Moldova’s President Maia Sandu at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium File/Reuters Before the EU’s comprehensive vaccine plan descended into a farce of screeching U-turns, bitter recriminations and a raid on a pharma factory, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen sent this tweet to her half-million followers: “It’s Europe’s moment.” lt’s not aged well. It’s more like Von der Leyen’s moment of truth.
Why the European Commission failed the vaccine challenge It saw an opportunity to expand its power whilst heading off dangerous divisions emerging between EU nations
Tue, Feb 2, 2021, 12:40 Gideon Rachman
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is in the line of fire. EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET / POOL
The EU’s failure to deliver Covid-19 vaccines at pace is a major political scandal. For some leading politicians, it is a potentially career-ending fiasco. Those in the line of fire include Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission; Emmanuel Macron, president of France and Jens Spahn, Germany’s health minister and a potential future chancellor.
Note from the Editors
Digital technologies have transformed almost every aspect of the health care and life sciences industry from electronic health records and telemedicine, to diagnostics and therapeutics augmented by artificial intelligence, and to remote clinical trials. The year 2020 witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic catalyzing unprecedented levels of digital health innovation and adoption. The digital health industry is entering 2021 with optimism for even greater advancement, reductions in regulatory burdens, and continued widespread adoption of digital health technologies. In the Industry Insights contribution for this issue, several of our digital health experts briefly summarize the major advancements in four key digital health areas that took place over 2020, as well as expectations for 2021.