In this photo illustration, a French passport and an international vaccination or prophylaxis certificate are presented in front of Berlaymont, the European Commission’s headquarters on March 13, 2021 in Brussels, Belgium.
Thierry Monasse | Getty Images
LONDON – The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, on Wednesday proposed a vaccination certificate for citizens as a way to support tourism-related activities this summer.
Tourism-dependent economies, such as Greece, have pushed for a common EU system to restore some travel to the region this summer. These countries have struggled with fewer visitors in 2020 and are eager to welcome people back to avoid more severe economic scars.
The Commission therefore suggested that EU citizens be allowed to use a “digital green certificate” to prove that they have been vaccinated against the virus; that they received a negative Covid-19 test; or recovered after contracting the coronavirus.
The idea with the other two options in addition to vaccination is to avoid criticism that the document will discriminate against those who have not yet received a blow. However, some nations, including France, are wary of this idea because young people are the last to get a vaccine.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “The certificate will ensure that the results, what it shows, the data, the minimum set of data are mutually recognized in each Member State.”
“We aim to help Member States restore freedom of movement in a safe, responsible and reliable way,” she added.
In addition, a vaccine certificate is somewhat difficult for some EU countries to swallow, given the region’s policy on freedom of movement. Until the coronavirus is hit and, in most cases, European citizens could move from one country to another without a passport check.
The European Commission also said on Wednesday that all vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency should be automatically recognized by other Member States under the new system. However, countries wishing to do so could also recognize vaccines that have not yet been approved by the European regulatory authority.
Hungary, for example, inoculates citizens with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine and the Chinese shot. These have not yet been approved by the EMA.
The document is expected to contain only a very specific set of data: the citizen’s name and date of birth, the date of issue of the certificate, relevant information about a vaccine, test or recovery and a unique identification name.
“This cannot be held by the countries visited,” the commission said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Brussels-based institution also said that the certificate will be free, available in the language of the issuing country, as well as in English, and that it is only a temporary mechanism.
“It will be suspended once the World Health Organization declares the end of the international health emergency Covid-19,” the commission said in a document.
Wednesday’s proposal will be debated at the next European summit later this month. Speaking in February, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it could take three months for a digital certificate to be implemented.
The various EU countries and the European Parliament have to approve the Commission’s proposal before it can be implemented.