Greece demands that vaccinated people can travel without worries within Europe.
The initiative is also receiving support in Germany.
"
People who have been vaccinated should be able to travel freely,
" wrote Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in a letter published by his office.
He is calling for a uniform vaccination certificate so that people vaccinated against corona can soon travel again without restrictions *.
The battered tourism industry in Greece could be stimulated again.
Greece wants a uniform vaccination certificate: Can vaccinated people travel earlier?
A
uniform vaccination certificate
would therefore not only prove “that a person has been vaccinated successfully”, but also increase acceptance in all member states.
The Greek Prime Minister receives support for this initiative from Manfred Weber (CSU / EPP), head of the Christian Democrats in the European Parliament.
Bild.de
quotes him as follows: "We support the proposal of the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for an EU-wide recognized vaccination certificate that enables free travel in the Schengen area." The idea of the vaccination certificate should therefore be held on January 21 in a virtual corona Summit to be discussed with the 27 EU heads of state and government.
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Opinions on vaccination campaign from Greece: May vaccinated people be further restricted?
“We see ethical problems at the beginning as certain groups will only have access to the vaccine later.
But we are currently necessarily severely restricting the fundamental rights of citizens
.
This then has to be re-weighed as soon as a person protects himself and, in some respects, others from infection.
And the alternative is that each country establishes its own rules, a fragmentation that no one wants, "said Weber against
Bild.de
.
Nicola Beer (FDP), Vice President of the European Parliament, also supports the idea, according to
Bild.de
: As soon as it is ensured that all those interested in vaccination can quickly get their vaccination dose and it has been clarified that those who have been vaccinated will not pass the virus on, the Greek proposal could become very attractive.
MEP Daniel Freund (Greens) takes a critical point of view: “As long as the number of cases in Europe is so high, I find a debate about tourist travel inappropriate.
The focus must be on reducing the number of infections and vaccinating as quickly and as much as possible.
Allowing individuals to return to normal while we don't even know whether people who have been vaccinated can be contagious or not, I consider dangerous. "
However, Mitsotakis also notes in his letter that
vaccinations should remain voluntary
.
Here, however, hotels and airlines still have the reins in their hands: the Australian airline Qantas is already planning a mandatory vaccination.
(fk) * Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network.
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