“15 years on: Updating the EU’s 75% uptake target to manage the triple threat of Flu, COVID-19, and RSV”, 16 October 2024, Brussels (Belgium) and online

The first annual EU Flu Day was organised to mark 10 years since the Council Recommendation on Seasonal Influenza Vaccination. Since the adoption of the Council Recommendation on Seasonal Influenza Vaccination in 2009, Europe has not only seen limited progress on flu vaccination, but also gone through a pandemic caused by another respiratory virus, COVID-19, as well as a surge in the public health burden of RSV.

Now, 15 years after its adoption, and as we begin a new institutional mandate in the European Parliament and Commission, it is timely to reflect on how the 2009 Council Recommendation should be updated to reflect this new landscape.

The 2024 edition of EU Flu Day brought together policymakers, academics, health professionals, and industry leaders, to discuss the importance of data surveillance and digitalisation in achieving 75% vaccination uptake for flu as well as for RSV and COVID-19.

By collecting and publishing harmonised data on flu, COVID-19, and RSV in a timely manner, the EU can better understand and address barriers to vaccination. Digital tools such as electronic vaccination registries are also an essential resources for improving vaccine confidence and supporting data-driven public health actions.