The European Commission adopted today a report on the EU Digital COVID Certificate and its implementation across the EU. The report shows that the EU certificate (sometimes referred to as green pass or covid pass) has been a crucial element in the European response to the pandemic, with more than 591 million certificates generated. The certificate has particular importance for the tourism industry, as according to 65% of respondents in a Eurobarometer survey the EU Certificate is the safest means for free travel in Europe in pandemic times. As of today, 43 countries are connected in the EU system (27 EU Member States, 3 European Economic Area (EEA) countries, Switzerland, and 12 other countries and territories), and the Commission was approached by 60 third countries interested in joining, with technical discussions already ongoing with 28 of them. Additionally, 20 member states use the EU certificate for domestic purposes, such as for the access to large events and restaurants, cinemas, and museums.

Speaking of vaccine export, Commission president von der Leyen released a statement evaluating the performance of the EU in this domain. She emphasized the fact that with over 1 billion vaccine doses exported to 150 countries the EU is clearly the largest exporter of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide. Future steps were also mentioned, as the EU will donate at least an extra 500 million doses to the most vulnerable countries and, together with the United States, aims at vaccinating 70% of the global population by next year.

Image © European Commission 2021