EU unveils holiday passport plan that will allow free movement for those who have been vaccinated or have Covid antibodies

(Daily Mail) – The EU has presented plans to issue ‘digital green certificates’ allowing its 450million people to travel freely across the bloc this summer.

The scheme, which will be discussed next week during a summit of EU leaders, will facilitate travel across Europe for people who have been vaccinated as well as others who have recently been tested or recovered from Covid-19.

Britons will not be automatically eligible under the current plans but will be able to apply for a certificate from the specific country in the EU they intend to visit, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Infections in the UK will need to remain low for Britain and other countries to be allowed to travel to the EU under the proposals before similar vaccination passports are introduced elsewhere.

The topic has been discussed for weeks and proved to be divisive. The travel industry and southern European countries dependent on tourism like Greece and Spain have been pushing for the quick introduction of the measure, which could help avoid quarantines and testing requirements.

But several member states, including France, argued that it would be premature and discriminatory to introduce such passes since a large majority of EU citizens haven’t had access to vaccines so far.

‘We all want the tourist season to start. We can’t afford to lose another season,’ European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova told Czech public radio. ‘Tourism, and also culture and other sectors that are dependent on tourism terribly suffer. We’re talking about tens of millions jobs.’

If agreed by the EU leaders, the proposal will need to be approved by EU lawmakers to enter into force.

The move piles pressure on transport secretary Grant Shapps to green-light a similar scheme for foreign travel in time for summer.

A number of EU countries such as France, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus have confirmed they expect to welcome the return of British tourists this summer.

The commission proposed that its Digital Green Certificates, which should be free of charge, would be delivered to EU residents who can prove they have been vaccinated, but also to those who tested negative for the virus or have proof they recovered from it.

The process for obtaining a certificate has not been confirmed, as the plan stated they will be issued by national health authorities.

‘Being vaccinated will not be a precondition to travel,’ the commission said. ‘All EU citizens have a fundamental right to free movement in the EU and this applies regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not. The Digital Green Certificate will make it easier to exercise that right, also through testing and recovery certificates.’

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the certificates ‘will help boost tourism and the economies that rely heavily on it’ while Europe’s aviation sector urged EU governments to ensure the passes are operational in time for the peak of the summer travel season.

The commission proposed that all vaccines rubberstamped by the European Medicines Agency should be automatically recognised, but also offered governments the possibility to include other vaccines like Russia’s Sputnik or China’s Sinovac, which haven’t received EU market authorization.

The European Commission guaranteed that ‘a very high level of data protection will be ensured’ and said the certificates will be issued in digital format to be shown either on smartphones or paper.

Mr Shapps is leading a global travel taskforce that is looking into the use of vaccine passports for safely re-opening travel.

Hit taskforce will report by April 12, the date when an announcement will be made on when travel can re-open, with May 17 being the earliest possible date.

Meanwhile, a tech company is understood to be in talks with the Government to carry out trials for vaccine passports in pubs in Chester.

Customers would need to show an app to prove they had been vaccinated or had received a negative test. The app also uses a photo of the customer’s face.

The firm, Match Fit Pass, said it is waiting for the green light for its trials. Boris Johnson’s roadmap allows outdoor visitors to pubs from April 12 and indoor visitors from May 17.

It is hoped that the technology, which would be trialled between these two dates, will reduce the need for social distancing measures indoors. Football clubs and music venues are also interested, the company said.

Michael Dodd, chief executive of Match Fit Pass, said: ‘We’ve already got six venues in Chester lined up and eager to beta test the Match Fit Pass solution.

‘We’re just waiting on the green light from local authorities and the Government and then we can start to roll this out nationally and internationally.’