On March 17, the European Commission unveiled plans to create the so-called “Digital Green Certificate” to facilitate free movement inside the European Union during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The certificate will be a proof that a person has been vaccinated against the virus, received a negative test result or recovered from Covid-19. It will be available, free of charge, in digital or paper format, the commission explained.
It will include a QR code to ensure security and authenticity of the certificate. The commission aims to have the scheme ready before the summer, which means that the proposal needs a swift adoption by the European Parliament and the European Council.
It would be a temporary measure and be suspended once the World Health Organization declares the end of the Covid-19 health emergency. The commission’s proposal could however face strong resistance from many member states of the EU, due to concerns that people still waiting for vaccination would be discriminated against.
