EU LEADERS EXPECT VACCINE CERTIFICATES SYSTEM BY JUNE

Fri 26 February 2021:

Leaders from the European Union’s (EU) 27-member states came to together for a virtual summit on Thursday with the aim of, the implementation and use of vaccine passports and the potential for conflict arising from national border closings.

The European Commission is working on a COVID-19 data system to be introduced throughout the bloc and it is expected to be operational three months from now, according to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU’s executive body.

The database will connect the national systems of European countries by providing uniform content on when and which vaccine has been given to citizens, she said at a news conference after the first day of a virtual EU leaders’ summit focused on new challenges of the pandemic.

Speaking at a press conference alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel said Europeans and their leaders “need to face the truth” about the difficulty of the task at hand but said hope was on the horizon.

Commission President von der Leyen, too, stressed progress made so far, noting that 8% of the bloc’s adult population had already been vaccinated.

Vaccine certificates within three months

One of the more contentious issues EU leaders tackled was that of digital vaccine passports for those who have been vaccinated. Southern EU states such as Greece, Spain and Italy — all heavily or entirely dependent on tourism — believe such a scheme could ease air travel, helping them avoid a repeat of last year’s disastrous summer holiday season.

Northern neighbors have been reluctant to buy in amid concerns about discrimination and whether people who have been vaccinated can still carry the virus.

In the evening press conference, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there was consensus on having the certificates, but not precisely how they should be used.

“Everyone agreed that we need a digital vaccination certificate,” the German chancellor said. She added that the certificates could be available by summer, as the bloc needs three months to create a technical framework.

Von der Leyen cited Israel’s work tracking and documenting a person’s vaccination history on so-called Green Passes while stressing the importance of maintaining the functionality of the European single market.

She stressed, however, that the creation of the certificates “does not mean that only those who have a vaccination passport are allowed to travel.”

Von der Leyen said member states would “have to act fast” if the program was to be implemented by summer.

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