European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that Ursula von der Leyen, the European Union, would propose issuing a certificate called the Digital Green Pass, which frees people vaccinated against the coronavirus can let travel.
“The Digital Green Pass should make the lives of Europeans easier,” she said. Von der Leyen wrote on Twitter. “The aim is to gradually enable them to move safely in the European Union or abroad – for work or tourism.”
The announcement follows an intense debate last week during a virtual meeting that exposed the deep divisions among leaders of the 27 members of the group.
Tourism-dependent countries such as Greece have insisted on such a plan to help save the summer travel season, while others, led by France, have been wary of the possibility of discrimination between vaccinated and non-vaccinated Europeans, as well as possible breaches of personal protection. data.
“In the future, it would certainly be good to have such a certificate, but that does not mean that only those who have such a passport will be able to travel,” Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said after the meeting last week.
Vaccination efforts in the European Union usually started slowly. Only 5 percent of the group’s population has received at least one shot of vaccine so far. According to Wigand, the commission’s spokesman, the certificates will go beyond the vaccination status to include the broader medical history of the container over the virus.
“We will also look at other categories of information to prevent discrimination against citizens, such as test results and declarations of recovery,” he said. Wigand said Monday.
The establishment of the system and the issuance of certificates will take at least three months, the commission said. It was not immediately clear what legal and technical steps would be needed, or whether the system would extend beyond European Union citizens.
The commission said there should be a way to sharpen it worldwide, in collaboration with the World Health Organization. But when asked for further details, Mr. Wigand ‘a little patience’ and explains that it’s all very fresh.
After the meeting with the 27 national leaders last week, Ms. Von der Leyen said: ‘It is important to have a European solution, because otherwise others will go into this vacuum. Google and Apple are already providing solutions to the WHO, and this is sensitive information. “Apple then said that Ms. Von der Leyen may have misunderstood and that the company does not currently offer such a solution.