Euroconsumers and The Good Lobby are organising a webinar to discuss the Digital Green Certificate that was proposed by the European Commission and is planned to be adopted by June, just in time for the beginning of the summer holiday season. [ Ссылка ] A certificate for citizens to regain their right to travel across Europe
As Member States continue to introduce and/or maintain cross-border restrictions, the Certificate aims at facilitating citizens’ free movement inside the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is set to waive existing and future cross-border restrictions for those who have been vaccinated, have recovered from the virus, or can show a negative COVID-19 test.
A discussion on how to ensure the Certificate is fair and effective
How can the Digital Green Certificate be a fair and effective tool for citizens to regain their right to travel in Europe? As EU institutions are negotiating the final details of the Certificate, the European Parliament’s leader on the file, Juan Fernando López Aguilar MEP, has agreed to talk with academics and consumer organisations about the state of play of the reform and what to expect next.
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The European Commission expects to finish work soon on a COVID-19 certificate that could allow citizens to travel more easily this summer in the 27-nation bloc, the EU executive said on Tuesday after a meeting with European affairs ministers. [ Ссылка ] The pass would allow those vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19 or with negative test results to cross borders in a union where restrictions on movement have weighed heavily on the travel and tourism industry for more than a year.
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“This is a priority for our citizens and therefore I believe we will deliver (on the certificate) before summer,” Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said after the meeting in Brussels. He said he expected a full roll-out by the summer.
A two week pilot project to test the technology a few countries at a time began on Monday, the EU Commission said.
But EU governments, the European Parliament and the Commission must agree on the design of the certificate. They must also decide whether faster, but less accurate, COVID-19 antigen tests can be included.
Sefcovic called on all sides to work together to complete the legislative, as well as the technical, work as quickly as possible, noting the complexity of the job.
“For the certificate to work, it has to be on smartphones, it has to be interoperable, possible to check it. So it is quite the task to do it at the pan-European level,” Sefcovic said.
The European Parliament says no one will be obliged to use the EU certificate and it must not be considered a vaccine passport.
Sefcovic said the Commission was working closely to inform the United States, the World Health Organization and others about its progress to allow the certificate to be used on a wider scale.
As the vaccination campaign in the EU is gaining speed with 200 million jabs delivered and COVID-19 infections rates falling, Europe is starting to reopen cities and beaches, raising hopes for the summer holiday season.
German Europe Minister Michael Roth called for a swift agreement.
“This is not only important for countries depending on tourism but for all of us: It is … a clear signal for freedom of movement and for mobility in the European Union,” Roth said in Brussels.
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