BRUSSELS (AP) – With summer approaching and countries dependent on tourism anxiously awaiting the return of a steady influx of visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union’s executive body presented a proposal on Wednesday that the 450 million people from the bloc – vaccinated or not – to travel freely through the 27-nation bloc by summer.
The plan, to be discussed at a summit of EU leaders next week, provides for the creation of vaccine certificates to facilitate travel from one Member State to another.
“We all want the tourist season to start. We cannot afford to lose another season, ”European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova told Czech public radio. “Tourism, but also culture and other sectors that depend on tourism, suffer enormously. We are talking about tens of millions of jobs. “
The topic has been discussed for weeks and has proved to be divisive. The travel industry and southern European countries dependent on tourism, such as Greece and Spain, have pushed for the rapid introduction of the measure, which could help avoid quarantines and testing requirements.
But several Member States, including France, argued that it would be premature and discriminatory to introduce such passes, as a large majority of EU citizens have so far not had access to vaccines.
According to data collected by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, less than 5% of European citizens are fully vaccinated due to delays in the delivery and production of vaccines. However, the European Commission remains convinced that it can achieve its goal of vaccinating 70% of the adult population in the EU by the end of the summer.
To ensure the accession of all member states, the commission proposed to issue its so-called digital green certificates, which should be free, to EU residents who can prove they have been vaccinated, as well as to those who have tested negative for it. virus or have evidence that they have recovered from it.
“Getting vaccinated is not a prerequisite for travel,” said the committee. “All EU citizens have a fundamental right to free movement in the EU and this is true regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not. The Digital Green Certificate makes it easier to exercise that right, also by means of testing and recovery certificates. “
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the certificates “will help boost tourism and the economies that rely heavily on them,” while the European aviation industry urged EU governments to ensure that the passes are operational in time for them. the peak of the summer travel season.
The committee proposed that all rubber-stamped vaccines be automatically recognized by the European Medicines Agency, but also allowed governments to include other vaccines, such as Russia’s Sputnik or Chinese Sinovac, which have not received EU market authorization.
The European Commission guaranteed that “a very high level of data protection is guaranteed” and said the certificates will be issued in digital format for display on smartphones or on paper.
EU officials also hope that vaccine certificates will convince member states that have introduced travel restrictions to slow the rate of new infections to lift their measures. The EU’s executive arm has previously warned six countries that their travel restrictions, which in Belgium go as far as a ban on non-essential travel, could undermine the fundamental EU principle of free travel and harm the internal market .
The commission said the certificates should be suspended once the World Health Organization announces the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If approved by EU leaders, the proposal will need to be approved by EU legislators to enter into force.
Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this story.
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