The rate of progress is reliant on a robust and complete assessment of the quality, safety and efficacy and is determined by availability of additional information from the company to respond to questions raised during the evaluation, read an EMA statement.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen applauded the EMA decision, tweeting: Likely the first Europeans will be vaccinated before end 2020, a comment that left many on her Twitter feed asking whether the British were no longer considered Europeans.
EU countries have secured doses of vaccine but the bloc has opted for a slower, more thorough approval process rather than the abbreviated testing the vaccine was put through elsewhere. EMA says it will also review other vaccine candidates in January.