After the virtual EU summit of the heads of state and government, Angela Merkel is hopeful and believes the introduction of an EU vaccination pass is possible by the summer.
The heads of state and government of the European Union are discussing at the EU summit how the
corona
pandemic should continue
for the EU.
It is also about the supply of
Corona
-
vaccines
*
walk.
Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has
proposed
a
vaccination pass based
on the
Israeli
model
.
+++ 9:00 p.m.:
Chancellor
Angela Merkel
is happy that the
EU vaccination pass
could be implemented by the summer.
If this succeeds,
people
who have been
vaccinated
could
enjoy
advantages
such as
easier travel
.
Conversely, however, this would not mean that travel bans for non-vaccinated people would have to come about at the same time: “No political decisions have been made about this at all,” said Merkel.
+
Angela Merkel announces progress in the race for the EU vaccination certificate.
© John Macdougall / dpa
Meanwhile, other EU countries are already doing their thing.
The holiday countries
Austria
,
Bulgaria
,
Greece
and
Cyprus
are pushing for
easier travel
for
people
vaccinated
against
Corona
.
Greece and Cyprus recently
reached agreements
with
Israel
on how the future entry of
vaccinated
persons should be regulated.
Romania
and
Poland
go one step further and already grant vaccinated people advantages, including when entering the country.
Corona pandemic: Sebastian Kurz requests vaccination pass based on the Israeli model - encouragement from Bulgaria
First report from Thursday, February 25th, 2021, 12:56 p.m .:
Brussels - Before the consultations of the EU heads of state and government on the
corona
pandemic, calls for a European
vaccination certificate
have become louder in order to enable vacation travel and relaxation of restrictions.
Before the
summit
on Thursday (February 25th, 2021),
Austria and southern tourism countries pleaded
for a "green passport" based on the Israeli model.
Other EU countries thought the debate was premature.
The summit participants were unanimous in their concern about the increasing spread of mutated
corona viruses.
The EU heads of state and government will vote on how to proceed with the
corona pandemic
in a video conference on Thursday afternoon
.
"We want to get back to normal as quickly as possible," said Kurz before on Twitter.
"We therefore want an EU-wide green passport with which one can travel freely, be on the road without restrictions on business and go on vacation." It could also enable gastronomy, culture and events again.
After vaccination against coronavirus: citizens in Israel get "green passport"
Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boiko Borisov supported the demand.
He said that he had agreed on a proposal for the “green passport” with Austria, Greece and other countries.
It should "bring relief to all those who have been vaccinated or have gone through the disease".
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.
+
Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), Federal Chancellor of Austria, speaks during a press conference.
© Helmut Fohringer / dpa
Before the EU summit on Corona: countries consider vaccination passport regulation to be "premature"
The vaccination pass debate was given new impetus this week by an unpublished study from Israel, according to which the
vaccine
from
Biontech / Pfizer
*
prevents
almost 90 percent of the
virus transmission
to others.
Nevertheless, following consultations with the member states, the Portuguese EU Presidency stated that it would “still take some time” before a
decision could be made
on the use of
vaccination certificates
for holiday trips.
Several
EU countries
confirmed before the summit that they considered such a regulation to be "premature".
They pointed out that only a small part of the population had been vaccinated and that “privileges” could arise for those who were vaccinated.
Work on the EU
vaccination
pass
has so far only related to use for medical purposes.
Draft declaration for the EU summit: Due to mutated corona viruses, the situation is still serious
Even in the last draft of the summit declaration, the demand for more far-reaching resolutions did not find support.
"We call for the work on joint vaccination certificates to continue and we will come back to the topic," says the document that is available to the AFP news agency.
Overall, according to the draft declaration, the heads of state and government continue to assess the situation
as "serious" in
view of the increasing spread of mutated
corona viruses
: "We must therefore maintain strict restrictions and at the same time increase efforts
to accelerate
the supply of
vaccines
," it says.
EU summit on corona travel restrictions
Before the summit, more than 100 MEPs had asked in an open letter that the
EU Commission
and the member states give up their resistance to the suspension of intellectual property rights at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The move should allow better access to affordable means against the
virus
, including
vaccinations
and especially for developing and middle-income countries, the letter, which was signed by 114 parliamentarians from various political groups, said.
The
EU summit also
wants to continue to advocate travel restrictions.
“Travel that is not necessary must be restricted,” it says.
Member States can order this as long as the requirements are proportionate and non-discriminatory.
The EU Commission criticized Germany this week for border controls with the Czech Republic and the Austrian state of Tyrol *.
According to Brussels, the protection of the German population could be achieved through “less restrictive measures”.
The authority criticized Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Hungary for the restrictions in force there.
(afp / epd)
* fr.de is part of the nationwide Ippen digital network
List of rubric lists: © John Macdougall / dpa
