FACTBOX-Europe's plans to vaccinate against COVID-19

Having gained the green light from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the final step is approval by the European Commission, which is expected later on Monday. Commission head Ursula von der Leyen last week said that European Union countries would begin inoculating people over Dec. 27-29.

European countries will start COVID-19 vaccinations in the coming days after regulatory approval for the use of a shot jointly developed by U.S. company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech .

European Union countries including Germany, France, Austria and Italy plan to start vaccinations from Dec. 27 as Europe tries to catch up with the United States and Britain, where inoculations began earlier this month. Having gained the green light from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the final step is approval by the European Commission, which is expected later on Monday.

Commission head Ursula von der Leyen last week said that European Union countries would begin inoculating people over Dec. 27-29. The regulator in Switzerland, which is not an EU member, approved the vaccine at the weekend.

Following are plans for the European rollout. SWITZERLAND

The Swiss will start selected vaccinations of especially vulnerable people this week. A nationwide programme starts on Jan. 4, with the goal of providing free inoculations to everyone who wants one by mid-2021. GERMANY

Health Minister Jens Spahn welcomed the approval of the vaccine as a milestone in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities would start the first vaccination in elderly care homes on Dec. 27, he added. ITALY

Italy will also begin vaccinations on Dec. 27, the Health Ministry said last week. Italy is set to receive an initial 1.83 million shots from Pfizer, with the first inoculations to be given to health workers. FRANCE

France will also start its COVID-19 vaccination programme next Sunday, Dec. 27, Health Minister Olivier Veran wrote on his Twitter feed on Monday. The French programme would start off with the most vulnerable members of the population, such as the elderly, Veran added.

AUSTRIA/SPAIN/BULGARIA Austria, Spain and Bulgaria have also announced plans to start to vaccinate citizens two days after Christmas.

HUNGARY Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said he expects vaccinations to start on Dec. 27 or Dec. 28, adding that the country's first vaccine shipment will be enough to inoculate about 35,000 people.

NETHERLANDS The Netherlands will begin inoculations on Jan. 8, health minister Hugo de Jonge said last week.

"We have opted for a planning that is careful, safe and responsible," De Jonge said in a letter to parliament.