Brussels (Brussels Morning) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday that the EC will propose a vaccination passport this month, DW reports.
Once the Commission draws up the proposal, EU member states will decide whether or not to adopt the scheme.
Southern European countries like Greece and Spain that heavily reliant on tourism are eager to see the scheme endorsed since it would raise hopes for a successful summer tourist season.
Other EU member states are critical of the proposed two-tier system which would link the right to travel or to enter cinemas and restaurants to the new document.
France and Germany have cautioned that the move would create a two-tier system for citizens and a de facto obligation to get vaccinated, a requirement that could prove discriminatory.
The EC has announced it would try to avoid measures that might discriminate against citizens who have not been vaccinated, and pointed out that travel could be allowed for people with a recent negative test.
EU prepared
Last week, the EU decided to complete technical preparations for implementing the new system in three months. Proposed solutions include a QR code, which would require member states to implement compatible data processing systems.
Referring to EU citizens, von der Leyen said “the aim is to gradually enable them to move safely in the European Union or abroad — for work or tourism”.
“We want to set up the technical requirements in the next few months”, she noted, mindful that implementing the new system would require the support of all EU member states.
Last week, Austria’s Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, announced that a group of EU member states would implement their own immunization passports in the event of a failure to reach a bloc-wide agreement. “I think that this project has to be implemented in spring”, he observed, noting that countries with similar policies could agree to proceed on a national level.
Cyprus and Greece have decided to press forward without the EU and have reached an agreement on travel restrictions with Israel.
