The institutions of the European Union They arrived this Monday at a political agreement to extend the regulations on the covid digital certificatewhich will allow its use if so decided by the countries of the bloc until June 30, 2023.
“Agreement!” announced the rotating French presidency of the European Union in a message shared on the social network Twitter in which it also stressed that the extension “will facilitate travel within the EU when member states decide to use the certificate” .
The vaccination passport It was established in June 2021 to boost travel in the European Union and revive a tourism sector that has been particularly affected by the pandemic, but after a year in force and most Europeans having received the booster dose, practically all countries have health restrictions lifted.
France, Portugal and Finland
Currently, France, Portugal and Finland they are the only three EU countries that have not officially done so and therefore travelers are supposed to continue to show the certificate to demonstrate that the complete schedule of the vaccine has been obtained, that they have antibodies due to having had the disease or that they have a negative test for SARS-CoV-2.
The agreement reached today does not imply that the restrictions will be reinstated again and that traveling in possession of the document will once again be mandatory, but rather it gives the health authorities the possibility of claiming it for another year if they consider it appropriate.
“Unfortunately, the covid virus is still present in Europe, and for this reason, we want to guarantee the free movement of citizens by extending the application of the certificate, in case it is necessary to travel in the EU,” said PSOE MEP Juan Fernando López Aguilar, who led the negotiations with the Member States on behalf of the European Parliament.
revoke it by law
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In a statement, the socialist MEP explained that this extension contemplates an evaluation of the measure by the European Commission in December of this year on the need to continue with the use of the certificate, especially on its impact on freedom of movement and fundamental rights.
In the event that this report -taking into account the contributions of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Health Security Committee- concludes that the epidemiological situation no longer requires the use of the certificate, the Community Executive will have to submit a legislative draft to repeal it.