14 May 2025 – Few medical measures have pushed back diseases as effectively as vaccination. Pharmaceutical research is now able to develop novel vaccines with impressive speed, as the COVID-19 pandemic showed. Yet vaccinations are still recorded by hand or sticker in an outdated paper vaccination card. On May 14th, policy-makers, public-health leaders and digital-health innovators convened in Saarbrücken, Germany, to explore how Europe can turn the hard-won lessons of COVID-19 into stronger, more resilient, and equitable vaccination systems.
Hosted by the Saar Health Region, Gesundheitsregion Saar, the event began with opening remarks from their chairman Dr Thomas Vaterrodt. Gudrun Widders of Germany’s Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) outlined lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and featured strategies to re-boost public confidence – for example, by using the JITSUVAX Empathetic Refutational Interview (ERI).
The spotlight then shifted to EUVABECO when consortium member François Kaag (Syadem, France) unveiled a roadmap for the European Vaccination Card (EVC). “A trusted, interoperable record is the cornerstone of equitable, life-course immunisation,” Kaag told delegates, as he detailed EUVABECO’s pilot rollouts conducted across four EU countries.
Building on that vision, EUVABECO’s supporting Prof Dr Jürgen Rissland (Federal Association of Physicians of German Public Health Departments) set out design principles for modern digital vaccination management, emphasising privacy-preserving data exchange, vaccine reminder/recall-based interventions and real-time analytics to guide policy and research.
In the final discussion moderated by the co-chairmen of the Saar Health Region Axel Mittelbach, three priorities for closing Europe’s immunisation gaps were underscored: rebuilding public trust, streamlining regulation and ensuring interoperable digital solutions across borders. Attendees continued exchanging ideas over a networking reception.
