EU countries are expected to agree on the 9-month limit for COVID-19 certificates

European Union countries are expected to agree to reduce the duration of COVID-19 certificates for travel to nine months, Reuters reports, citing two EU sources.

The European Commission proposed in November a nine-month limit on the validity of the certificate after the completion of the basic doses of the vaccine. If implemented, EU citizens who will want to travel freely next summer across the block will need a booster dose, the agency notes.

An EU official and one diplomat said European governments were expected to reach an agreement on the nine-month limit as early as this Friday, following a preliminary agreement on Thursday, although one said talks could continue next week.

A third diplomat said there was general support for the nine-month limit, although some countries with lower vaccination rates were concerned about the potential impact this could have on travel.

EU governments have repeatedly stated that a common approach is needed to avoid further disruption to the travel industry. However, they have presented different rules.

France set a limit of seven months on the day the Commission proposed that the limit be nine months. The French regulation will apply from 15 January, with the Commission proposing that it start on 10 January. Representative of the French embassy in the EU did not have a comment on the subject.

In Cyprus the certificate will last for seven months, while in Greece it will expire after six months for the elderly. European officials, however, said both countries were willing to change the threshold to a common threshold for the EU. in total.

EU health experts They are also expected to discuss today lifting travel restrictions in South African countries and introducing a mandatory negative PCR test for all incoming travelers outside the bloc, even if vaccinated, according to Reuters, a source familiar with the discussions.

EU members agreed in late November to impose travel restrictions on seven South African countries, citing several cases of the micron variant, which is considered highly contagious.

Sources said the requirement for PCR testing was widely supported, and the timing for lifting the restrictions was unclear.

On Tuesday, EU Health Ministers were skeptical about lifting travel restrictions, but the situation is evolving rapidly as new data on the micron mutation emerge.