The European digital certificate to recover the mobility lost by the pandemic comes into force this Thursday amid a new wave of the coronavirus that threatens to cause another border closure.
In addition, the airline sector, one of the great potential beneficiaries of the sanitary pass, fears that the diversity of verification systems will cause long queues at airports or, in the worst case, end up limiting the possibilities of movement.
The European Commission has urged all governments to ensure that all persons provided with the certificate are exempted from any restrictive measures, such as additional tests or quarantines. Brussels considers it essential that "clear and timely information be provided so that citizens have confidence in traveling abroad this summer."
But fear of the spread of the delta variant of the virus and mistrust towards countries more dependent on tourism (such as Portugal or Spain) has led governments such as Germany to warn that they will ban the entry of travelers from countries where they are apply controls loosely.
Brussels hopes that reluctance and technical problems will be overcome and that the certificate will become not only a tool to move from one country to another but also the entry pass for other types of activities, such as concerts, exhibitions or congresses.
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En English: Guide to the EU's Digital Covid Certificate system: how to apply and what can it be used for
Three in one
The so-called EU digital covid certificate must be issued free of charge to any European citizen who requests it to prove their vaccination (partial or complete), the completion of a negative test or having passed the disease.
The document, on paper or in digital format, opens the doors to travel throughout the EU and its holder will have exactly the same rights as vaccinated (or recovered) citizens of the country they visit.
Where is valid
The certificate and the applications that allow it to be downloaded to the mobile phone will be available this July 1 in the 27 EU countries, except in Ireland, which will not incorporate it until mid-July as a result of the computer attack recently suffered by its health system.
The three countries of the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) also participate in the system.
The incorporation of Switzerland is planned, in the absence of an agreement on the mutual recognition of the respective certificates.
Queues at Hamburg airport on June 25 DPA via Europa Press / Europa Press
Who issues it
The health authorities or agencies of each country will issue the certificate at the time of vaccination or when requested by the interested person.
The certificate will be legible in any EU country thanks to a platform developed on behalf of the Commission that allows the interoperability of all documents issued.
What vaccines does it include
The vaccination certificate is granted to people who have been administered one of the vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency.
Currently they are those of BioNTech-Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen.
Countries that so wish may also accept a vaccination certificate corresponding to one of the vaccines authorized as an emergency resource by the World Health Organization.
At what age can it be used
The certificate will be available for all ages.
The 12-15 age group can receive the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine, according to the European Medicines Agency.
In any case, minors can also obtain the certificate to prove the overcoming of the disease or the result of a diagnostic test.
What is it for
The certificate has been developed, above all, to facilitate mobility from one country to another.
But this Wednesday the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, has encouraged national authorities to extend its use to other activities.
"We recommend that all countries use this instrument not only for freedom of movement [through the EU] but also for any other type of national use, such as going to concerts, festivals, the theater, restaurants ...", has animated Reynders.
Voluntary character
The European Commission insists that the certificate is not a passport and that obtaining it is always voluntary and in no case can it become an essential requirement for travel.
People who have not been vaccinated will enjoy the same freedom to travel from one country to another but must submit to the restrictions provided in each case (diagnostic tests or quarantine) depending on the destination and, above all, the epidemiological situation of your country or region of origin.
Small letter
Complications begin with the fine print of the certificate.
Governments have reserved the right to impose restrictions on travelers from any country whenever they deem it appropriate for public health reasons.
Possible measures must be communicated to the Commission and the other Member States and duly justified.
But the degree of discretion will be difficult to avoid and the risk of fragmentation is evident, especially if the variant of the virus from India (the delta) or other new ones continue to spread rapidly in some areas.
Germany has already warned that it will impose restrictions or even veto entry to nationals of countries that are not capable of containing contagions, with Portugal as the first country in the target.
Diversity of systems
The European airline sector, which still shows a 54% drop in activity compared to the last year prior to the pandemic (2019), hoped to take advantage of the vaccination certificate to recover in July and, above all, in August, good part of the lost passengers. But Airlines for Europe (A4E), one of the main employers' associations in the sector, has warned this Tuesday of the risk that the diversity of certificate verification systems will cause a spiral of controls, waits and flight delays that ruin the summer campaign . The employer regrets that, despite the efforts of the European Commission to develop a common certificate, "there are at least 10 different national approaches and solutions."And it warns that this fragmentation and the possibility of double or triple verification of the certificate in the same trip "threatens the success of the restart of air travel this summer and will undermine the free movement of citizens throughout the EU."
Controls at the exit
The European Commission has urged states to avoid duplication of controls.
Brussels considers that it is enough to verify the validity of the certificate in the country of origin, so the checks on arrival are redundant.
Brussels also recommends that, if possible, the verification be done in advance of entering the boarding airport to avoid queues and crowds incompatible with the rules of personal distancing.
The Commission also defends that the controls are sporadic and not systematic.
The A4E employer indicates that the control time has already increased by 500%, up to 12 minutes per passenger.