Member States’ ambassadors to the EU took stock on Tuesday 30 March of progress on the ‘Digital Green Certificate’, which will eventually allow Europeans to travel again in the EU with a Digital Certificate proving that they are vaccinated, have recently tested negative or have had Covid-19 and are recovering (see EUROPE 12680/1).
They will try to agree on this Regulation on 14 April, at a new Coreper meeting, in order to start negotiations with the European Parliament, which has accepted the urgency procedure. But on Tuesday, they also asked a number of questions, notably about the timetable for adoption and the ability to apply the Regulation immediately, a source said.
Some countries have indeed indicated that they might need more time to consult regional parliaments and have suggested a transition period of one month, for example. The Commission wants these Certificates to be operational by June.
The Member States’ experts, meeting in a Ad hoc Working Party, also met on 29 March, and the discussions so far also reflect the Member States’ desire to keep control of measures restricting freedom of movement, which they believe should not be affected by this Regulation.
The ways in which this Digital Certificate will be used, with a view to lifting restrictions on free movement, will also have to “remain the responsibility of the Member States”, indicate working documents seen by EUROPE.
It is also important for Member States to remember that this Digital Green Certificate is “not a travel document” and that it is necessary to find out about national measures in force before travelling. Nor can these ‘Green Certificates’ be a “precondition to exercise free movement rights”.
The technical work is also aimed at clarifying elements of the Regulation, such as taking into account certain vulnerable groups or children, who should not be prevented from travelling because they are not vaccinated.
The draft texts also state that, although the Certificate relates to vaccines recognised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and authorised through the common procedure, this should not prevent Member States from accepting Certificates for other vaccines authorised by a Member State and which have received a national marketing authorisation, which would allay the concerns of countries such as Hungary with Sputnik V.
But this point still needs to be discussed, according to the source, as not all Member States were able to agree to the compromise on Tuesday.
The Ambassadors, as a whole, also called on the Commission to consolidate the scientific basis of these proposals and to be open to possible changes. A draft text suggests working towards a better understanding of antibody production and vaccine immunity.
Link to the working document dated 26 March: https://bit.ly/3m2xWvF (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)