Coronavirus: the health passport, the EU’s commitment to the new normal

PARIS.– The horizon is starting to emerge for Europeans wishing to do tourism this summer within the European Union (EU), after MEPs and the 27 Member States reached this week a agreement on the so-called “European health passport”, which should enter into force on 1 July next. For non-European travelers, access will continue to be subject to certain conditions.

“White smoke: we agree with the European Commission’s proposal to create a European Covid digital certificate,” European Commissioner Didier Reynders announced in a tweet. For the President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, this certificate will be “a key element for the resumption of safe and peaceful travel throughout the EU”.

Four negotiation sessions were necessary for MEPs and representatives of the 27 member countries to reach a compromise. Highly anticipated by countries dependent on tourism, and initially offered by Greece, this European health pass is intended to facilitate movement within the EU in a coordinated and harmonious manner this summer.

Other countries in southern Europe, such as Spain, Malta and Portugal, have also strongly supported the initiative.. In addition, Belgium and Hungary, Poland, Denmark, Sweden and Estonia are experimenting with various similar devices. For example, Copenhagen and Stockholm announced the creation of electronic certificates for the trips abroad of their fellow citizens. In turn, France and Italy are testing a kind of “green pass” valid within their borders, which could be used – on a voluntary basis – for air travel, restaurants or venues. theatre.

Like its national counterparts, the European certificate will include a QR code that will indicate that its holder has been vaccinated, that their recent swab is negative, or that they are immune after being infected with Covid-19. This virtual information must be valid for one year and self-destruct from the app after 12 months.

Europeans will have three ways to get it. First of all with the smartphone. An app called “CovidSafe” will be available for download on Apple and Google in early June, making it possible to show the certificate to anyone who needs it. The second method will be through the web. Those who do not have a smartphone or do not wish to install the application will be able to visit official protected sites in each country, which provide access to personal health data. Finally, there will be a third, more traditional method: mail. Any European can request that the certificate be sent by post, although this is only possible in the case of the vaccination certificate. The same will not be the case for swabs, given the validity periods required for these documents (72 hours).

The compromise reached between MEPs and representatives of the countries of the bloc also evokes the need to carry out “affordable and accessible” tests, as well as the commitment of the EC to mobilize 100 million euros to purchase these swabs, using European funds.

This mention responds to the fact that the cost of these tests, hitherto compulsory for all Europeans who want to enter another country in the bloc, varies from free, as in France, to around 300 euros in certain Scandinavian countries.

In accordance with the agreement, once the health passport enters into force on July 1, member states must ‘refrain from imposing additional travel restrictions’, such as withdrawals or periods of isolation, “unless they are necessary and proportionate to protect public health”.

Without declaiming it too loudly, the European authorities expect a return to normal by the end of the summer, thanks to a notable acceleration of the vaccination campaign, the pace of which has been brought back to that of the States. -United, according to Von der Leyen.

“Our goal is to have the vaccine administered to 70% of adults by the end of July. It’s almost the same goal the United States has set for itself, ”he said.

“Critics of the vaccination campaign in Europe – which took a long time to start – should not forget that the EU exported 220 million vaccines, almost the same amount it used for its own citizens”, recalled the President of the EC by criticizing – without naming names – Great Britain and the United States.

“Other countries keep all of their vaccine production to themselves. On the contrary, the EU will achieve its health goals without distancing itself from the world, ”he stressed.

Non-EU

But the future European health passport will only facilitate movement within the EU for its own citizens. For non-European travelers, entry to the ward will be subject to two conditions: that they be fully vaccinated with one of the four products authorized by the European health authorities (AstraZeneca, Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson), and that the country of origin is not on the “red list”, that is to say that no nation which, because of its health situation, is considered at risk.

These tourists will be able to enter the EU without having to undergo sampling or quarantine. However, even when the European health passport comes into force, each of the 27 countries in the bloc will have the possibility of applying their own measures to allow or deny the entry of third-country nationals.

It’s already the case. Some European countries, such as Greece or Portugal, have started to accept the entry of foreign nationals. Athens welcomes American travelers with open arms, Lisbon has done the same with British tourists.

These lists of evolving national and European requirements and authorizations will be continuously updated over the coming summer months.