Legislative proposal to create a “digital green certificate” to facilitate security and free movement within the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic was approved by the College of Commissioners, which was presented to the press in Brussels by Commission President Ursula Von der Layen and Co-Chairs Commissioners Breton (Industry) and Raiders (Justice).
According to the Commission, “the digital green certificate will be proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, tested negative or recovered from COVID-19”. This is introduced to avoid discrimination against those who have not yet been vaccinated.
It will be free of charge, in digital or printed form and will include a QR code to ensure the authenticity of the certificate and can be read by machines at the entrance gates and will be bilingual.
The Commission itself will set up a portal to ensure that all certificates can be verified across the EU and will assist Member States in the technical implementation of certificates.
According to the Commission, “Member States remain responsible for deciding what health restrictions can be lifted for travelers who have it, but” should apply the same data in the same way to travelers holding a digital green certificate “. This is the principle of non-discrimination introduced by the Commission in the proposal for a regulation.
The Commission clarifies that travelers with the digital green certificate should have the same rights as those accepted by the Member States with proof of vaccination to remove certain restrictions on public health, such as trials or quarantine. Member States will be required to accept, under the same conditions, certificates issued through the Digital Green Certificate. This obligation will be limited to vaccines authorized at EU level, but Member States may decide to accept other additional vaccines, by a second decision.
If a Member State now wishes to introduce new tests or quarantines on certificate holders then it must inform the Commission and all other members and explain the reasons.
The digital green certificate will be valid in all EU Member States and will be open to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
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The digital green certificate must be issued in the EU for citizens and their family members, regardless of their nationality, but third-country nationals residing in the EU and visitors who have the right to travel to other Member States.
The Digital Green Certificate system is a temporary measure. It will be suspended as soon as the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the end of the international health emergency of COVID-19.
Certificates will include a limited set of information, such as name, date of birth, date of issue, relevant information about the vaccine / test / recovery, and a unique identifier (QR). This data can only be checked for confirmation and verification of authenticity and validity.
Vra Jourová, Vice President for Values and Transparency, said in a presentation that “the digital green certificate offers a pan-European solution to ensure that EU citizens benefit from a harmonized digital tool for free traffic support in the EU. “A good message in support of the recovery. Our main objectives are to provide an easy – to – use, non – discriminatory and secure tool that fully respects data protection.”
Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders emphasized that “with the Digital Green Certificate, we are taking a European approach to ensuring that EU citizens and their families can travel safely and with minimal restrictions this summer. The Digital Green A certificate will not be a prerequisite for movement and will not discriminate in any way, a common EU approach will not only help us gradually restore free movement within the EU and avoid fragmentation, it is also an opportunity to influence global standards. and guide them by our example based on our European values, such as data protection. “
