Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
The EU's plans to create a vaccination passport are moving forward every day, with the EU Commission now saying the digital certificate should be in use before the summer.
This week, EU Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas announced that the digital vaccination certificate should be ready in time for the start of the summer holidays on June 1. “The passport should be usable by the beginning of summer,” he said, “and summer starts on June 1.”
The commission has christened the project “digital green pass” - derived from the Israeli “green passport” that can be loaded on mobile phones. It will not only document vaccinations, but also results of approved PCR and rapid tests as well as past coronavirus infections.
Each passport will contain a QR code that leads to a database, where authorities can check the name of the person, when they were vaccinated, with which vaccine, and who issued the proof. By the end of May, the commission wants to develop an interface that will allow data to be exchanged between all member states.
The pass is designed not to discriminate against people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. “Free travel in the Schengen area is a basic right for every citizen, that’s why we don’t want to make it dependent on a vaccination certificate,” said Schinas.
However, as is the case with Israel, the digital green pass should also open up travel in other areas of public life, such as eating in restaurants and going to the cinema - but this is where the consensus begins to break down.
The Dutch government has made it clear on numerous occasions that special privileges should not be given to anyone who has already been vaccinated, and less than a month ago acting Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the technicalities of the passport had to be debated. Angela Merkel has also voiced her concerns about denying unvaccinated members of the public certain freedoms. On the other hand, Greece and a number of other countries that are heavily dependent on tourism are insisting that the document should essentially represent a free pass for travel.