Angela Merkel
Vaccination card should secure travel in summer
Angela Merkel consulted with the heads of state and government of the EU.
© Alexandros Michailidis / shutterstock.com
The EU wants to introduce a Europe-wide vaccination card by the summer to enable vacation trips. When will the plan be implemented?
The EU wants to introduce a Europe-wide vaccination card by the summer to enable vacation trips. This was confirmed by the heads of state and government at a video conference on Thursday (February 25th). "Everyone agrees that we need something like this," said Chancellor Angela Merkel (66), according to a statement. Merkel expects that the EU states will have developed digital vaccination records within three months and that the Commission will have created the technical requirements for this.
The vaccination cards should be compatible with each other via the so-called gateway at the European level, said Merkel. "This will make it possible to travel with more information within the European Union," and perhaps it will also form the basis for entering the European Union from third countries, said the Chancellor. In the group of 27 governments, however, it was agreed that this vaccination certificate did not yet play a role in view of the low vaccination numbers. However, the preparations should start. In addition, the vaccination certificate alone cannot determine who can travel. Tests should make their contribution.
Countries like Greece, Cyprus and Austria have been calling for easier travel for vaccinated people for a long time. Some EU countries such as Poland and Romania already give vaccinated people advantages, especially when entering the country.