EU poised to extend EU Digital Covid Certificate by a year
The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have agreed on the extension by a year of the regulation establishing the EU Digital Covid certificate, according to a June 13 statement.
“The extension of the regulation will ensure that EU travellers as well as those from third countries connected to the system can continue to use their EU Digital Covid certificate for travel within the Union in member states where these travel certificates are required,” the statement said.
If the health situation allows, the regulation can also be repealed earlier, it said.
The digital Covid certificate has played an important role in facilitating the free movement of people during the pandemic, the statement said.
The current regulation establishing the EU Digital Covid certificate was adopted on June 14 2021 and has been in force since July 1 2021. It expires on June 30 2022.
The regulation establishing the EU digital Covid certificate will be prolonged by one year, until June 30 2023.
In addition to the prolongation, the co-legislators also agreed on an obligation for the European Commission to submit a detailed report by December 31 2022. This report could be accompanied by legislative proposals to allow for a new assessment of the need to repeal or maintain the certificate, depending on developments in the health situation.
They also agreed on the clarification that vaccination certificates should reflect all doses administered, regardless of the member state where people received their vaccination.
Other agreements included the possibility to issue a certificate of recovery following an antigen test; the extension of the range of authorised antigen tests used to qualify for a Covid-19 certificate; and the possibility to allow vaccination certificates to be issued to people participating in clinical trials.
The provisional agreement reached on June 13 must now be approved by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament.
(Photo: EC Audiovisual Service/Claudio Centonze)
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