*** modified Monday 24 May 10pm ***
The ambassadors of the Member States to the EU gave their unanimous green light on Friday 21 May to the agreement reached the day before between the European Parliament and the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council on the ‘EU Digital Covid Certificate’, as both parties have definitively called it (see EUROPE 12723/1). The text will now go to the plenary in early June.
Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, who is responsible for issues related to free movement, welcomed on Friday morning “a historic” agreement, which will protect the fundamental right of free movement. He also welcomed the speed with which this agreement was reached (2 months), the Commission having proposed the certificate on 17 March.
On Friday, the Commissioner reiterated the Commission’s commitment to mobilise an additional €100 million to help Member States fund antigen tests, but also PCR tests which are the most expensive.
He also pointed out that Member States will be able to recognise rapid tests with the certificate and not only PCR tests, although some Member States currently only recognise PCR tests. The latter should in principle be able to continue to prioritise certain tests.
As for the offer to mobilise €100 million, priority will be given to tests carried out by cross-border commuters or people with real reasons to travel, for example, to care for a loved one or receive treatment. The cost of testing for ordinary leisure travellers could therefore still be disregarded, as is already the case in some Member States.
Another clarification made by the Commission on Friday was that the certificate for vaccinated persons could be valid after one dose and not necessarily after both doses, which follows the practice already in place in Spain.
With regard to the certification of recovered persons, on the other hand, the compromise provides that antibody/serological tests shall only be used to issue recovery certificates if and when scientific evidence is available confirming that such tests constitute reliable proof of recovery. The Council of the EU has succeeded in favouring the use of PCR tests in such cases, as a result.
Operational from 1 July
After the European Parliament vote, the Council of the EU will have to proceed to a formal adoption, thus making the scheme operational as of 1 July. A transition period of 6 weeks, starting on 1 July, will be granted to Member States that are not yet fully ready by 1 July.
Five countries would be affected by this ‘delay’—Germany, Ireland, Finland, Spain and Sweden—and might therefore only make the certificate available to their citizens by mid-August. In the meantime, these Member States will have to accept the European certificate from other travellers coming to their country.
Other fully prepared countries, on the other hand, will be able to start using this tool earlier.
Link to the agreement: https://bit.ly/3yuVqPB (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)