The European Commission set the world stage for vaccine “digital green certificates” when it released its proposal Wednesday, March 17, 2021, for establishing what the EC called a “coordinated approach” to allow citizens to travel freely around Europe.
The commission also said it plans to adhere to color-based restrictions published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, as people move between fairly disease-free countries and those with a high risk of disease transmission.
According to Politico, “European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen previously said the certificate should not only cover travelers’ vaccinations, but also list their tests or recovery from the virus.”
The commission also proposed having an “interoperable test certificate” that would set up guidelines on how long a negative test certificate is considered valid. Noteworthy is that the commission would only allow EU-approved COVID-19 vaccines to be covered under the passes, meaning Russia’s and China’s vaccines would not be accepted.
SOURCES:
Politico March 16, 2021
European Commission March 17, 2021