The leaders of the three main community institutions promulgated the COVID-19 digital certificate on Monday, which “will allow safer travel this summer” and with which the Twenty-seven intend to advance in the recovery of “a Europe without barriers.”
It is the message launched in a joint statement by the presidents of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; and of the European Parliament, David Sassoli; together with the Portuguese Prime Minister Antònio Costa, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, after the signing of the digital certificate in a ceremony in the European Parliament.
“We can be proud of this great achievement. The Europe that we all know and that we all want to recover is a Europe without barriers,” said Von der Leyen, Sassoli and Costa in their joint statement.
The three agreed that the certificate “will once again allow citizens to enjoy the most tangible and precious of EU rights: the right to free movement.”
Converted into law, the document “will allow us to travel more safely this summer,” the three stressed, reaffirming together that today “an open Europe prevails.”
For EU leaders, the digital certificate is “a symbol of what Europe stands for, of a Europe that does not falter when put to the test” and that “unites and grows when faced with challenges”.
“Our Union has once again demonstrated that we work better when we do it together”, stressed Von der Leyen, Sassoli and Costa, recalling that the agreement between the institutions was reached “in the record time of 62 days”.
And in parallel, while the legislative process was being worked on, “the technical backbone of the system has been built, the EU gateway, which has been in operation since June 1,” they recalled.
After the signing of, only its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union remains before its entry into force on July 1, although there are already countries, such as Spain, that have advanced to facilitate its use.
With this document, which is free and is issued by national authorities, the holder can demonstrate that he has been vaccinated, had a negative result in the coronavirus test or recovered from a contagion in the last six months.
The certificate is in the form of a QR code and can be electronic, to carry on your smartphone or tablet, or it can be downloaded and printed on the go.