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Chancellor Angela Merkel
Photo: POOL / REUTERS
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) considers it possible, because of the variants of the coronavirus, that further vaccinations against the coronavirus may be necessary.
Because of the mutations, it could be that "we must always be able to vaccinate over a long period of time," said Merkel after a video conference of the 27 heads of government.
The Chancellor also announced that the EU wants to create the technical basis for a cross-national vaccination certificate by the summer.
"The expectation is that this will be ready by the summer," said Merkel about the digital certificates.
At the moment such a passport is not yet an issue because of the low vaccination coverage of the population in the EU countries.
Even later, it will also be the case that the vaccination certificate alone does not determine who can travel.
Tests could also contribute to this.
Before the summit, Austria and southern tourism countries, among others, had pleaded for a “green pass” based on the Israeli model.
In Israel, citizens who have received two doses of vaccine against the coronavirus can get a green passport.
This enables them, among other things, to visit gyms, swimming pools, theaters or hotels again
In the EU, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary are currently particularly affected by the British mutation
No controls planned at the French border
Merkel is currently ruling out border controls with France.
This is "not on the agenda," said the Chancellor.
The entry controls at the borders to Tyrol and the Czech Republic were also carried out at the endeavors of the federal states.
The meeting of the 27 EU heads of government will continue on Friday.
Among other things, the summit is about how the EU countries should react to the virus mutations.
The EU Commission recently said that better agreements should also be reached for vaccine production in the EU.
The EU Commission wants to set up a task force - similar to the federal government at national level - the commission said.
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fek / dpa
