On March 17, the Commission proposed the creation of a Digital Green Certificate, with the goal of simplifying safe free movement inside the EU during the present pandemic.

The Digital Green Certificate will work as a confirmation that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, has received a negative test result or has recovered from the virus. It will be available, for free, in digital or paper format, and will include a QR code to ensure security and authenticity of the certificate.

Everyone should be able to benefit from the Digital Green Certificate when travelling in the EU, whether they have been vaccinated or not. Member States should accept the Digital Green Certificate the same way they accept other vaccination certificates, particularly when it comes to waiving certain restrictions related to public health. Therefore, if a Member State requires those who have a Digital Green Certificate to quarantine or test, they must notify the Commission and all other Member States and explain the reasons for such measures.

The certificates will include information such as name, date of birth, date of issuance, relevant information about vaccine/test/recovery and a unique identifier of the certificate. It will be valid in all EU Member States and open for Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

The Digital Green Certificate should be issued to: EU citizens and their family members, regardless of their nationality; non-EU nationals who reside in the EU; visitors who have the right to travel to other Member States.

It is important to note that the Digital Green Certificate system is a temporary measure, and tt will be suspended once the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the end of the COVID-19 international health emergency. Additionally, in order for this system to be ready before summer, this proposal needs a rapid adoption by the European Parliament and the Council.

Image © European Parliament, 2020