The leaders of the European Union member states are expected to agree tomorrow to work on a certification scheme for EU citizens vaccinated against Covid-19, in a bid to save the coming tourist season.
The imposition of a pandemic to tackle the pandemic last year brought the deepest economic downturn in the bloc of 27, hitting the southern member states disproportionately hard, where economies are much more dependent on tourist visits.
With the release of vaccines against Covid-19 gradually accelerating, some governments, such as the Greek and Spanish ones, are pushing for a speedy adoption of a pan-European certificate for those who have already been vaccinated so that people can travel again.
However, other countries, such as France and Germany, are more reluctant, with officials stressing that the plan could create a de facto vaccination obligation and discriminate against those who cannot or will not receive the vaccine.
France, where the anti-vaccination trend is particularly strong and where the government has pledged not to make vaccinations mandatory, considers the idea of vaccination passports “premature”, a French official said today.
Work is required on the details of the plan, such as whether the certificate should be issued in digital form, whether it will be universally accepted and at what stage of the dual vaccine vaccination process, the certificate should be issued.
“We call for further work on a common approach to vaccination certificates,” said a draft statement from tomorrow's 27 leaders' teleconference, which reached Reuters.
However, the draft did not refer to a timetable for a final decision. Officials note that the EU is working with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which wants to revive air travel, with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
However, travel with certificates also raises legal issues, officials said, as those at the end of the range in vaccination programs could argue that their freedom of movement is unjustly restricted by the often months of waiting for a vaccine to be given.
European officials also point out that there is still no directive from the WHO and EU services on whether people who have received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine can still be carriers of the new coronavirus and infect others. even if they themselves are no longer vulnerable.
It is also unclear whether those who are already infected with the virus remain infected, how long they have been immune and whether they will be able to obtain certificates. “There is still a lot we do not know,” said a senior member of the European bloc. “We need more time to reach a common line,” he added.
However, there is no time limit for southern European countries, where the hospitality industry needs to know what to prepare for in the coming months.
Despite the formal stance that all EU governments want to work together to resolve the issue, some countries may decide to move faster individually.
