The European Commission has unveiled its proposal for a “Digital Green Certificate”, or vaccine passport, to enable safe and free movement within the EU during the pandemic.
The certificate will confirm that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19, has received a negative test result or has recovered from Covid-19 which can be used in all EU member states, the Commission announced on Wednesday.
The certificate can also be used in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland and is “open to initiatives being developed worldwide,” the Commission said in an information sheet sent to CNN.
The proposal was unveiled when the Commission called on Member States to prepare for a “coordinated approach for a phase-out of COVID-19 restrictions”, when the epidemiological situation allows, ahead of a meeting of European leaders on March 25.
“Today we propose a common EU approach that will lead us towards our goal of reopening the EU in a safe, sustainable and predictable way. The situation with the virus in Europe is still very challenging and confidence in the decisions taken is crucial. Only through a joint approach can we safely return to full free movement in the EU, based on transparent measures and full mutual trust, ”said Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety in a press release.
The Digital Green Certificate will contain a QR code with a digital signature “to protect it against forgery. When the certificate has been checked, the QR code is scanned and the signature verified, ”according to the Commission fact sheet.
Each issuing agency (eg a hospital, a testing center, a health authority) has its own digital signature key and these are all stored in a secure database in each country.
The European Commission will build a gateway where all signatures of certificates across the EU can be verified.
Member States should issue vaccination certificates regardless of the type of COVID-19 vaccine, the Commission suggested. And people who have been vaccinated before the Digital Green Certificate is introduced must have the opportunity to obtain the necessary vaccination certificate.
No exact end date has been given for the certificates, with the Commission saying they will be suspended once the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the end of the international public health emergency caused by COVID-19.
The Commission is working to ensure that certificates are compatible with systems in third countries outside the EU.