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Greece and Austria are urging other EU states to adopt coronavirus vaccination ‘passports’ that could help revive the struggling tourism industry in Europe.
The idea of such a document, which could be a certificate, would be to allow those who have been vaccinated to travel freely within the EU.
The proposal was presented in a virtual discussion between EU leaders.
But a vaccine passport faces opposition from some of the bloc’s 27 member states.
France and Germany say such documents could be premature because data on the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing a person from carrying or transmitting the virus is incomplete.
There are also fears that allowing a vaccinated minority to travel abroad while others, such as young people who are not considered a priority for vaccination, continue to face restrictions would be discriminatory.
Another complication is the rapid spread of more contagious variants of Covid – the English, South African and Brazilian forms – and the possibility of future mutations. So it’s more likely that people will need booster shots to stay protected.
Greece – as well as Israel – already has digital vaccination certificates, and others like Denmark and Sweden have talked about developing them.
Greek Deputy Prime Minister Akis Skertsos told the BBC that a common digital certificate “is not discriminatory at all”. He argued that unvaccinated tourists could also visit Greece this summer, but the procedure for them would be slower – they would have to be tested and may have to self-isolate on arrival.
Greece and Cyprus agreed to admit Covid-negative Israeli tourists this summer – those who can prove their status with the Israeli “green” digital certificate.
Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theocharis said a similar deal could be reached with the UK. However, the UK government has yet to approve any vaccination certificates or give the green light for holidays abroad.
Greek tourism fell disastrously last year due to the pandemic. Its revenues have fallen to 4 billion euros (3.5 billion pounds sterling; 5 billion dollars), from 18 billion euros in 2019, reports the Reuters news agency. Tourism represents around a fifth of the Greek economy, employing one in five workers.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz tweeted that “we are advocating a digital Green Pass, like Israel’s”.
“This should allow you to prove, on your mobile phone, that you have been tested, inoculated or recovered [from Covid]. Our goal: to avoid a long lockdown and finally allow the freedom to travel back to the EU and the freedom to enjoy events and cuisine. “
While some EU countries are now battling a third wave of the virus, there are tensions over unilateral border restrictions. Germany is the latest to receive a complaint from the European Commission because it has imposed new police checks on the Czech and Austrian borders.
During Thursday’s virtual meeting, EU leaders also discussed how to address concerns about the slow rollout of vaccines that have been widely criticized.
The Commission – the EU executive – has been criticized for its vaccine procurement strategy. It clashed with AstraZeneca as the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical firm was well below its first quarter delivery target.
Some member states have also hinted that the AstraZeneca vaccine is somehow inferior to others – French President Emmanuel Macron said at one point that it could be ‘near ineffective’ in those over 65, without offering no proof.
This would have led to problems on the part of the authorities in some countries, such as Italy, reluctant to use the drug stocks.
The Commission still aims to have at least 70% of adults in the block vaccinated by mid-September. But so far, the total vaccinated is less than 5%.
The EU is desperately looking for ways to increase vaccine supply and improve its ability to track new variants, reports BBC Europe correspondent Kevin Connolly. But he’s pursuing policies that could pay off in months or years, when voters want answers in days or weeks, he says.
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