disclosure
The European Parliament has authorized the use of the European Union’s Covid digital certificate, with which tourists will be able to move without restrictions between the 27 community countries from July 1, in the high summer season. The document establishes whether the citizen has been vaccinated, passed Covid-19, or tested negative for the disease shortly before embarking on the journey.
It is a free certificate, in digital or physical form, and is issued in at least two languages: English and the language of the country of issue. All countries involved must be in agreement to provide basic information on the medical situation in relation to the coronavirus. At the same time, the system must protect the sensitive data of citizens and ensure the correctness of the information.
The EU member states made it clear in the negotiation process that the certificate should not, under any circumstances, be understood as a type of passport or identity document.
About a dozen countries already hand out such European certificates to their vaccinated citizens, and that’s exactly what Parliament is asking: that members start distributing them “now” in order to avoid the “big bang” of July compared to the excessive demand for emissions.
The 27 countries pledged not to impose “additional restrictions” on travelers with this certificate, which presupposes that, within the community, there will be no need to comply with mandatory quarantines or conduct new tests on arrivals.
However, national governments reserve the right to activate “emergency brakes” with which they can re-impose sudden restrictions in the event of an increase in the number of cases or the emergence of new variables.
Germany, Spain, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and the Czech Republic are some of the 27 countries in the European Union. Remember that since Brexit, the UK has not been part of this list.
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