On 13 October 2026, the co-OPERATOR Final Conference brought together researchers, health professionals, civil society and EU institutions at the European Parliament in Brussels and online. We were hosted by MEP George Georgiou with the support of The Left in the European Parliament.

Coordinated by the Cyprus University of Technology and funded by the EU4Health programme, co-OPERATOR brings together 10 partners from Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands.

At the conference we presented three years of work:

• Reviews of what helps and what holds back vaccination;

• Surveys of the public and health professionals in five countries;

• An open Virtual Observatory, a training platform and an AI assistant;

• Communication-focused training for health professionals;

• A Policy Making Lab that turned evidence into recommendations

Key takeaways

There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Vaccination readiness differs by country and by vaccine.
Training for health professionals needs to focus on communication skills, incentives and support from the health system.

Trust matters: who delivers the message is as important as the message itself.

The Policy Lab recommendations include non-financial incentives through continuing education, a stronger role for general practitioners, sustainable funding, combined seasonal vaccination, and transparent communication that builds trust.

A warm thank you to our consortium partners, DG SANTE, HaDEA, MEP George Georgiou and his office, our speakers, and everyone who joined us in Brussels and online.

The co-OPERATOR platform and tools remain open to all. Explore them and connect with us at www.cooperatorvax.eu. Read more (A – B)