BERLIN: The European Union on Wednesday, March 18, launched a closely watched effort to create a joint vaccination passport for its more than 440 million citizens and residents, embarking on a tightrope walk between economic pressures, discrimination fears, and concerns over Europe’s slow vaccination progress.
Supporters hope the “digital green certificates” will be ready by June, which could help to salvage the European summer tourism season and even serve as a model that could be extended to the United States and other countries. But E.U. countries lag far behind the United States in vaccinations, which has raised concerns that the passport plan could be launched prematurely.
The passes are expected to be digital or paper documents for travelers to prove that they have been vaccinated, that they recovered from the virus, or recently tested negative for it. In many cases, this could free travelers from quarantine obligations.
Those privileges could eventually also apply to Americans or British citizens traveling to continental Europe, given that all vaccines approved in the two countries are also approved for use in the European Union. Greece, Cyprus, and several other E.U. countries have already announced or are working on plans to welcome British travelers back within months. But E.U. borders will remain closed to most Americans even those who are vaccinated until the bloc lifts its travel restrictions.
The World Health Organization on March 15 urged countries to be “careful” certifying vaccines while accessibility in different countries remains inequitable.
The European passport initiative appears in some ways modeled on passes already in use in Israel, where QR codes allow fully vaccinated people access to gyms or restaurants.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the aim in Europe is to have crucial information on travelers’ covid-19 status “mutually recognized in every member state.”
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz recently said that the “vaccinated should have full freedom,” indicating support for an approach similar to the one in place in Israel, some E.U. leaders still see the vaccine certificates mostly as a way to resume European travel.
With many Europeans unvaccinated and some receiving products that aren’t yet approved by the E.U. medical regulator, concerns over unequal treatment have mounted. E.U. member Hungary, for instance, has vaccinated some of its citizens with Russia’s Sputnik V and Chinese vaccines that are not currently recommended for use by the E.U. medical regulator. Under the E.U. proposal, it would be up to member states to decide if they accept those vaccines as sufficient proof of immunity.
But Europe’s two most populous countries France and Germany have approached the plans with more caution, which could still derail them as they require the approval of the European Parliament and of member states.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently said that preferential treatment of vaccinated travelers “isn’t on the agenda, given the low vaccination coverage at this point.”
There is also still no scientific consensus on the extent to which vaccinations prevent the transmission of the virus.
The German and French stalling has frustrated officials in many southern European countries. Greece, Cyprus, and other nations recently announced plans to set up bilateral agreements unless an E.U.-wide solution can be found.
