The EU digital Covid certificate, which officially came into force on 1 July, is off to a good start, Commissioner for Free Movement Didier Reynders told MEPs on Wednesday 7 July, with “all Member States now connected” to the EU system and more than 200 million certificates already issued.
While all Member States are connected to the system, some do not yet offer all three certificates (for those who have been vaccinated, have tested negative or who have recovered from Covid-19), “but this is only temporary; we are working on a smooth roll-out and the experts (from the Commission and the Member States) are meeting regularly”, explained Reynders.
The Commissioner pointed out that seven Member States - for example Finland, Malta or Denmark - have not yet finished certificates for negative tests. Spain is also late and Ireland has not issued a certificate either.
He also confirmed that the first equivalences for third countries would be issued “very soon”, in this case for Switzerland.
However, several MEPs raised criticisms, notably about the “patchwork of rules” in the Member States, with some countries, such as Germany, having reimposed wide-ranging restrictions for travellers for a few days from countries such as Portugal, despite the certificate.
The Commissioner nevertheless provided assurances that “most Member States have so far agreed to exempt vaccinated people from testing and quarantine” and while he understands the concerns about variants, “disproportionate measures such as travel bans should be avoided”.
But “there is still work to be done”, Reynders acknowledged, citing his own case. With the certificate and fully vaccinated, he still had to undergo an antigen test to return to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Several elected representatives also expressed concern about the lack of reciprocity with third countries, such as the United States, which has not yet opened its territory to European tourists, unlike the EU. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)