By Yannis Koutsomytis
Following
After an initially negative reception in the major European capitals,
the proposal for the adoption of a European vaccination certificate,
which will facilitate travel for those who have received both instalments
of
vaccines against Covid-19.
The aim is a digital certificate, which will allow vaccinated citizens to travel without the restrictions (PCR test and quarantine) foreseen for those who have not been vaccinated. In this way, the tourism industry believes that many Europeans and Israelis will be persuaded to travel to safe European destinations, even from the beginning of May.
Initially, some reservations were expressed about whether the vaccination certificate would create inequalities in relation to citizens whose turn to be vaccinated has not yet come. Very quickly, however, the governments concerned, with the Greek government leading the way, clarified that the certificates would be a digital means by which vaccinated persons could travel quickly and without additional formalities. No individual right of those who have not been vaccinated is being negated, it is simply making it easier for those who have already been vaccinated to travel.
After some initial hesitations, the European Commission has embraced the idea of digital vaccination certificates, and will announce on 17 March its proposal for the specifications of the “Digital Green Passport”, the information to be contained in it and the instructions to EU Member States on the scope of use of the certificate. It is believed that the bureaucratic and technological procedures for the launch of the certificate will be completed by the end of May, so that it can be used from the beginning of June throughout the European Union.
Tourism and transport are, together with catering, the sectors of the economy that have perhaps been hit hardest by the pandemic crisis. The digital vaccination certificate will be a very important tool that will help those citizens who have been vaccinated to travel unhindered and the tourism industry to welcome again a large number of visitors with a minimised risk of spreading Covid-19.
