EU medicines agency quits X, moves to Bluesky

AMSTERDAM – The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Jan 27 that it would no longer post on X and would use rival Bluesky instead, becoming the latest organisation to quit a social media platform that some have criticised for its content.

“EMA will no longer post updates and content on X. We believe the X platform no longer suits our communication needs,” the agency said in a statement. 

“After careful consideration, the agency has decided to open an account on Bluesky.”

EMA could not be immediately reached for further comment. A request for comment has been made to X.

EMA’s move follows other organisations that have left or pared back activity on X due to concerns about the platform's content, including the non-profit Centre for Countering Digital Hate, Germany’s foreign and defence ministries, British news publisher the Guardian and several UK universities.

It comes at a time X’s billionaire owner Elon Musk is ramping up his political campaigning in Europe, most recently by urging Germans to vote for a far-right party.

Mr Musk helped President Donald Trump win the US presidential election in 2024, but his platform was criticised by disinformation experts for enabling the spread of falsehoods during the campaign.

Mr Musk says he wants X to champion free speech.

Since Mr Trump’s election victory, Bluesky has added millions of users, but it remains far smaller than its rivals.

EMA is a decentralised agency of the European Union, responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines. Its headquarters is in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

It was regularly the centre of attention during the Covid-19 pandemic, as it decided on the use of vaccines in the EU.

The European Commission and other EU institutions are still active on X. The European Central Bank earlier in January joined Bluesky but did not quit X. REUTERS