EU regulators move up Pfizer vaccine assessment to December 21 Europe has been lagging behind as post-Brexit Britain became the first country in the world to grant emergency approval for the vaccine, swiftly followed by the United States, Canada, Singapore. Share Via Email | A+A A- By Associated Press BERLIN: Facing strong pressure from Germany and other European Union nations, the bloc's medicines agency on Tuesday moved up a meeting to assess the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to Dec. 21, likely bringing vaccinations a step closer for millions of EU citizens. The agency said it made the decision after receiving additional data from the vaccine makers. The announcement came after Germany’s health minister and others had publicly demanded that the agency move quicker than its previously planned Dec. 29 meeting at which it was to discuss approving the vaccine.