The European Union on Thursday launched its digital COVID-19 certificate system, a “vaccine passport” type credential meant to smooth border crossings between the EU’s 27 member states.
Called the EU digital COVID certificate, the credential indicates if a traveller has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, has received a recent negative test result, or has immunity due to recent recovery. It takes the form of a QR code which can be displayed on an electronic device such as a smartphone or printed out.
The European Commission (EC), the bloc’s executive body, said in a statement that 21 Member States had already started to issue the certificates ahead of the July 1 deadline, while five EU countries were set to start using the system today. There is a phasing-in period of six weeks for the issuance of certificates for those EU countries that need more time.
“In March, we promised to have an EU-wide system to facilitate free and safe travel within the EU by the summer holidays,” said EC President Ursula von der Leyen, in a statement. “Now we can confirm that the EU Digital COVID Certificate system is up and running.”
Under the framework, EU member states will still be able to hit an “emergency brake” and re-impose travel restrictions for vaccinated and recovered persons if the epidemiological situation deteriorates significantly, for instance barring travellers from a region showing a spike in more infectious variants of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
“Under the new rules, Member States must refrain from imposing additional travel restrictions on holders of an EU Digital COVID Certificate, unless they are necessary and proportionate to safeguard public health,” the EC said in a statement.
Fully vaccinated persons with the digital credential should be exempted from travel-related testing or quarantine 14 days after having received the last dose of an EU-approved COVID-19 vaccine. The same exemption should apply to previously infected people who recovered and who received a single dose of the vaccine. Member States also have the option to lift travel-related testing or quarantine restrictions for people who received the first dose of a 2-dose series.
BY TOM OZIMEK
