On Thursday 25 March, EU leaders reiterated their wish that legislative and technical work on a digital green certificate, which is intended to be “interoperable and non-discriminatory”, should continue “as a matter of urgency”.
The EU27 also agreed to start preparations for a gradual lifting of restrictions on the free movement of persons imposed by Member States due to the Covid-19 pandemic, state the conclusions adopted by the EU27.
The aim is to arrive “in the next few weeks” at an instrument that gives Europe the capacity to “resume normal functioning”, said the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, after the meeting.
The head of the Belgian government, Alexander de Croo, said that these digital green certificates, intended for people who have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from Covid-19, should “facilitate travel” and not “constitute a condition for travel”.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte nevertheless noted a “general sense” among leaders that the certificate would go in the right direction. But there are “many questions”, he acknowledged, including how to prevent any restrictions on freedom of movement for people unable to get vaccinated. There is also the issue of “privacy”, he added, but the Netherlands supports the goal of reaching a “common approach by summer”.
The European certificates are only “a harmonised medical proof between the Member States” and do not determine “in any way the rights of each individual, which will be the responsibility of the national authorities”, said the French President. For Emmanuel Macron, we must “ensure that we respect the personal data and choices” of each individual.
On Thursday, the European Parliament agreed to work urgently on this digital green certificate project (see other news).
Link to the statement: https://bit.ly/2NT8PyB (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with the editorial team)