Some countries have taken the lead. Others are in the process of doing it or still discussing it. Health passes are becoming more widespread in Europe, as the continent catches up to its delay in vaccination against Covid-19. Not without some confusion. If several states have gone to practical work in order to organize the life “after” by multiplying national initiatives, many others are waiting for the European Union to have set up its own “green certificate” supposed to relieve travel between countries. member countries, especially as summer approaches.
However, discussions were delayed due to disagreements between the European Parliament and member states. Three main subjects are awaiting a compromise: the definitive opening of the borders to the holders of the European certificate, without any restriction; the list of eligible vaccines to guarantee the immunity of the citizens concerned; and the possible free of charge for the required tests from the unvaccinated. Negotiations resumed Tuesday, May 18 and could be completed, in the best case, by Thursday …
After announcing that it was the first European country to launch a health pass on the model discussed in European bodies on April 19, the French government is in the midst of a testing phase: on the one hand, its national system, to be used during gatherings of over 1,000 people from June 9; on the other hand, the European Covid-19 certificate, whose entry into force at the borders remains in principle scheduled for June 17.
Pass compatibility
On May 12, the authorities of five European countries (France, Sweden, Luxembourg, Croatia, Austria) checked for the first time the compatibility of their domestic health passes, an issue of great importance in the current context. Concretely, each caregiver or laboratory authorized in Europe to deliver a screening test result or a vaccination certificate has been assigned an identifier, in the form of a public encryption key. In France, this is certified under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and will allow security officers at major cultural festivals, for example, to check the origin of the health pass. But a copy of these identifiers will also be sent to the European Commission: German or Greek customs officials will thus be able to ensure the authenticity of the pass, in a few seconds, without having to contact the French authorities directly.
You have 79.6% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.