The EU didn't get the data to make a decision until just a couple days ago. The FDA and UK had a head start so of course they can make an informed decision sooner.
Maybe the EU should say "We haven't seen the data, but it is good enough for the UK so good enough for us.". However what if the data shows it is good enough for anyone from north-west Europe, but not anywhere else in the world - then the approval would just needless divert the vaccine from where it would work (the UK) and give people it won't work on anyway a sore arm. This is an extreme, unlikely situation, but it is the type of thing they EU needs to know about.
Maybe the EU should say "We haven't seen the data, but it is good enough for the UK so good enough for us.". However what if the data shows it is good enough for anyone from north-west Europe, but not anywhere else in the world - then the approval would just needless divert the vaccine from where it would work (the UK) and give people it won't work on anyway a sore arm. This is an extreme, unlikely situation, but it is the type of thing they EU needs to know about.