ROME – The European Commission will present legislation that will pave the way for COVID-19 passports with a “digital green pass” in March, with the aim of opening trips for those who have been vaccinated.
The measure, which was criticized for potentially discriminating against those for whom the vaccine is not readily available, was announced by the head of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Monday. “We will present a legislative proposal in March,” she told German lawmakers on Monday. “The goal is to gradually allow them to move safely within the European Union or abroad – for work or tourism,” she said in a follow-up tweet.
Unsurprisingly, the change was not adopted equally by all EU member states. Tourism-dependent Greece has already created its own COVID-19 passport with the aim of opening the country’s picturesque islands this summer. The Italian island of Sardinia, which is currently Italy’s only unrestricted “white zone” thanks to efforts to control who enters the island, also said that only vaccinated people can land.
The Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Spain and Portugal provide a national certificate after full vaccination linked to their national health plans, although they are not recognized at the transnational level.
Spain and Italy also applauded the measure across the EU, while France and Belgium – where the vaccine’s launch faced obstacles – criticized the plan, saying it would only pave the way for discrimination.
Several countries have also argued that it would be necessary to prove that vaccinated people cannot transmit the virus, which has not yet been established by the wider medical community or the World Health Organization.
In January, the EU agreed to the metrics for a European vaccination certificate, but the new legislation would create the basis for eventually extending beyond Europeans and even allowing foreigners who can prove they were vaccinated to enter the EU without having to quarantine.
Von der Leyen also said that he believes that 70 percent of all adult citizens of the 27 members should be vaccinated by the end of the summer, calling it “a goal we are confident in”.