The European Commission has unveiled its proposal for a “Green Digital Certificate”, or passport for vaccines, to allow safe and free movement within the EU during the pandemic.
The certificate will confirm that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19, received a negative test result or has recovered from Covid-19 that can be used in all EU Member States, the Commission announced on Wednesday.
The certificate can also be used in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, as well as in Switzerland and “will be open to initiatives that are being developed globally,” the Commission said in a newsletter sent to CNN.
The proposal was released when the Commission called on Member States to prepare for a “coordinated approach to a gradual lifting of COVID-19 restrictions” when the epidemiological situation allows, before a meeting of European leaders on 25 March.
“Today we are proposing a common EU approach that will lead us to our goal of reopening the EU in a safe, sustainable and predictable way. The situation with the virus in Europe is still very challenging and confidence in the decisions made is crucial. It is only through a joint approach that we can safely return to full freedom of movement in the EU, based on transparent measures and total mutual trust, ”said Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, in a press release.
The Green Digital Certificate will contain a QR code with a digital signature “to protect you from counterfeiting. When the certificate is verified, the QR code is scanned and the signature is verified ”, states the Commission’s technical file.
Each issuing agency (for example, a hospital, a test center, a health authority) has its own digital signature key and they are all stored in a secure database in each country.
The European Commission will build a portal where all certificate signatures can be verified across the EU.
Member States should issue vaccination certificates regardless of the type of vaccine COVID-19, proposed the Commission. And people who were vaccinated before the implementation of the Digital Green Certificate should be able to obtain the necessary vaccination certificate.
No exact date has been given for the end of the certificates, with the Commission saying they will be suspended as soon as the World Health Organization (WHO) declares an end to the international public health emergency caused by COVID-19.
The Commission is working to ensure that the certificates are compatible with third country systems outside the EU, he said.