BRUSSELS (AP) – With summer and tourism-dependent countries eagerly awaiting the return of a steady influx of visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union’s executive body on Wednesday unveiled a proposal that would allow 450 million people on the bloc are vaccinated or not – traveling freely through the 27-nation bloc over the summer.
The plan, which will be debated next week during a summit of EU leaders, envisages the creation of vaccine certificates designed to facilitate travel from one member state to another.
“We all want the tourist season to begin. We can’t afford to miss another season, “Vera Jourova, vice-president of the European Commission, told Czech public radio. “Tourism, as well as culture and other sectors that depend on tourism, are suffering terribly. We are talking about tens of millions of jobs.
The issue has been debated for weeks and has proven to be divisive. The travel industry and tourism-dependent southern European countries such as Greece and Spain have been pushing for the rapid introduction of the measure, which could help avoid quarantines and testing requirements.
But several member states, including France, argued that it would be premature and discriminatory to introduce such passes, as a large majority of EU citizens have not had access to vaccines so far.
According to data collected by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, less than 5% of European citizens have been fully vaccinated amid delays in vaccine deliveries and production. The European Commission, however, remains confident that it can achieve its goal of 70% of the EU’s adult population being vaccinated by the end of the summer.
To ensure the accession of all member states, the commission proposed that its so-called digital green certificates, which should be free, be handed over to EU residents who can prove they have been vaccinated, but also to those who go give negative for the virus or have evidence that they have recovered.
“Vaccination will not be a prerequisite for travel,” the commission said. “All EU citizens have a fundamental right to free movement in the EU and this applies regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not. The digital green certificate will facilitate the exercise of this right, also through test certificates and recovery “.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the certificates “will help boost tourism and the economies that depend on it to a large extent”, while the European aviation sector urged EU governments to ensure the passes are operational. in time during the peak of the summer travel season.
The commission proposed that all vaccines marked by the European Medicines Agency should be automatically recognized, but also offered governments the possibility of including other vaccines such as Russia’s Sputnik or China’s Sinovac, which they have not received EU market authorization.
The European Commission assured that “a very high level of data protection will be ensured” and stated that the certificates will be issued in digital format for display on smartphones or on paper.
EU officials also hope that vaccine certificates will convince member states that they have introduced travel restrictions with the aim of slowing down the pace of new infections to lift their measures. The EU’s executive arm has previously warned six countries that their travel restriction measures, which in Belgium go as far as banning non-essential travel, could undermine the EU’s basic principle of free travel and damage the single market. .
The commission said the certificates should be suspended once the World Health Organization declares the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If EU leaders agree, the proposal will have to be approved by EU lawmakers to take effect.
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Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this story.
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