Brussels Launches Its ‘vaccination Passport’: A Free And Universal Qr To Avoid Quarantines And Pcr To Tourists

The idea is quite simple and although the technical development is somewhat more complicated, it does not have enormous difficulties either. The practical application, however, is another story. The European Commission has approved and submitted this Wednesday its proposal for a vaccination certificate or passport, a Green Digital Certificate with which it hopes to resolve disputes and contribute to speeding up travel within the Union when the percentage of the European population vaccinated is high enough.

It’s about a document, digital and print, available in at least two languages ​​(that of each country and in English), free and universal, in the sense that it will have the same information regardless of the nationality of the person who has it and will give the same rights to all whoever has it. It is, in fact, not a document, but three in one, since the certificate will contain the information about the vaccination (when it was produced, where and with what vaccine), but also the details and results about the vaccination. tests that are carried out (PCR, antigens or others, date of examination and results) and on the person if they have passed the Covid19.

I know what the format is, you will have a QR code, so that it can be read quickly by the authorities and control bodies, and so that it can be available on any mobile device. Across the EU.

“The Digital Green Certificate offers an EU-wide solution to ensure that EU citizens benefit from a harmonized digital tool to support free movement. It is a message of support for recovery. Our key objectives are to provide a fà Easy to use, non-discriminatory and secure that fully respects data protection. And we continue working for international convergence with other partners “, the vice president explained this afternoon. Vra Jourová, responsible for Values ​​and Transparency.

The Commission is working these weeks to create a mechanism (gateway, gateway) that makes it easier for all certificates to be verified throughout the EU, but there is no imposition and there will be no imposition on how that certificate can be used. There are governments, such as the Belgian or the Dutch, that are very skeptical and fear that this certificate may institute de facto discrimination between those who have it (between those who have been vaccinated) and those who do not. Both for traveling and for anything else, from entering a restaurant or a museum to being able to apply for a job, for example.

Country control

With the Brussels proposal, “Member States remain responsible for deciding which public health restrictions may be exempted for travelers” with the digital certificate, but stipulates that “they must apply any exemptions in the same way to travelers who have a Digital Green Certificate “. That is, regardless of where they reside or come, for example. But they repeat over and over again that there cannot be, under any circumstances, a travel ban for someone who has not been vaccinated. You can have more controls than someone else, you can require PCR or quarantine, but you cannot be discriminated against.

“The Digital Green Certificate will not be an enforceable condition for free circulation and will not discriminate in any way. A common EU approach will not only help us gradually restore free movement and avoid fragmentation. It is also an opportunity to influence global standards and lead by example based on our European values, such as data protection, “said the Belgian commissioner. Didier Reynders, Head of Justice of the EU.

The Commission explains that it hopes to have its gateway or gateway ready in a few weeks and that it will help the 27 to develop the necessary software to be able to use the certificates and QR codes everywhere. “No personal data from the citizens’ certificate will cross that gateway or be retained by the Member States,” indicates the documentation presented.

Risk of discrimination

The certificate It will not be a safe conduct and it is not a panacea. Each country is free to allow or not to enter those that have it or to set what criteria it uses, for example if it exempts those who have been vaccinated or not from doing a PCR or quarantine. Brussels wants the document to be a three-in-one so that no one is discriminated against in this process of facilitating mobility, but at the same time that implies that a digital certificate will not be synonymous with vaccination or immunity. It can help, if it is developed urgently, but politicians will have to decide in the coming weeks or months how to use it and how to make it work to save the tourist season.

Spinning even finer, the Commission wants that if its proposal is approved by all Member States, no one can be penalized for their residence. If Greece, for example, stipulates that whoever has been vaccinated and has the certificate can go to its islands without a PCR, that will be valid for any European, regardless of where they come from. With a nuance.

The obligation that breaks down Brussels only contemplates those who have administered the vaccines approved by the EU, such as Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna o Johnson and Johnson, for now. If a citizen has the Sputnik V vaccine or that of China, for example, it would be up to each tourist destination to decide whether the exemptions and travel facilities that will be applied to others are also valid for them or not. Thus, it is possible but not guaranteed, which affects Hungarians or Slovaks who have opted for the Moscow and Beijing doses.

Simultaneously, Brussels has requested with a second proposal that the EU act jointly for the reopening. There are states, such as Belgium without going any further, that continue to prohibit non-essential travel and plan to do so for another month, despite the Commission’s calls for attention. The heads of state and government will address it next week at a highly anticipated summit.