On Monday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced its decision to cease posting on platform X and transition to using rival platform Bluesky. This move aligns EMA with other organizations distancing themselves from X over content concerns. The agency stated, "EMA will no longer post updates and content on X, as it no longer aligns with our communication needs." Subsequently, EMA will establish an account on Bluesky. EMA representatives were unavailable for immediate comment, and X was contacted for a response.
This decision echoes the departure of various organizations, such as the Center for Countering Digital Hate and foreign and defense ministries, from X due to similar content apprehensions. This development coincides with billionaire Elon Musk's increased political involvement in Europe, where he recently endorsed a far-right party. Despite Musk's advocacy for free speech and that X facilitated falsehoods during the U.S. election, Bluesky has amassed millions of users post-Trump's win, yet it remains smaller than its competitors.
EMA, an EU regulatory agency headquartered in Amsterdam, plays a crucial role in overseeing medicine evaluation and safety. Throughout the COVID pandemic, EMA was pivotal in determining vaccine usage in the EU. Notably, while EMA is transitioning to Bluesky, other EU institutions and the European Commission continue to engage on X. The European Central Bank recently initiated Bluesky presence without discontinuing X activity.