A single certificate with vaccination data, Covid-19 tests, or information indicating that the person has taken the coronavirus and has recovered is the European Union’s proposal to facilitate the movement of people in the Schengen area ( which also includes Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein).
The document will be issued by the countries of the traffic zone, for European citizens (regardless of their nationality), for residents and for passengers with a travel authorization for one of the members of the block.
The entry of people from outside the European Union or the Schengen area will continue to obey the rules in force, which advise against non-essential travel and are limited to only seven countries on your “white list”: Australia, New Zealand , Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Rwanda and China (when Asian country offers reciprocity).
The recommendations on the entry of travelers from other countries should continue to be revised according to the epidemiological situation of each, said the Commission (executive power of the block).
In the case of essential trips, passengers from other countries must comply with the specific requirements of each state, such as the need for a passport with a certain validity, visa, health insurance, etc.
In the case of European citizens or residents who have been vaccinated outside of Europe, this vaccination certificate must be validated in the country where they live so that they can also have the so-called green digital certificate.
Today, travelers in the EU are required to submit a variety of documents, such as medical certificates, test results or declarations, without a single standard. According to the Commission, in addition to making travel more difficult, multiple requirements have paved the way for false certificates and other frauds.
The idea of the digital system is to standardize the requirements and allow all countries to immediately verify the authenticity of the certificate, which would contain the same information for all 31 countries.
Each Member State will be able to decide on the applicable rights and restrictions, but will have to adopt the same rules for each traveler who holds the certificate. Each country can maintain restrictions such as quarantines or mandatory new tests, but it must inform the Commission if this applies to those who have the new digital document.
Being vaccinated will not be a prerequisite for travel, as vaccination is not compulsory in the European Union – the certificate will therefore include other safety data, such as tests or a recovery certificate. On the other hand, the Commission intends to specify which vaccine was taken and whether it was authorized by the European regulator.
Authorization from the European Agency (EMA) is required for the adoption of pharmaceuticals in the EU, but during the pandemic countries like Hungary and Poland urgently authorized vaccines not yet approved by the regulator , like the Russian Sputnik or the Chinese Sinopharm Society. Bloc countries cannot assign the same degree of safety to vaccines without EMA approval.
The goal is for the unified system to be in place by early summer, at the end of June. For this, the proposal must be approved by the European Parliament and the Council (which brings together national governments).