The European Commission will propose rules for a “green passport” for vaccination

“We will present a legislative proposal on a ‘digital green passport’ this month,” the head of the European Commission wrote on Twitter, explaining that the system should include both a vaccination certificate and COVID-19 test results.

A passport would gradually allow people “to travel safely within or outside the European Union for work or tourism,” von der Leyen added.

During a separate meeting with German MEPs and members of the country’s parliament, von der Leyen said that the European Commission “in the coming months” will create a technical basis for a digital certificate to be valid in all 27 EU countries.

After last week’s virtual EU summit on the subject, von der Leyen said that vaccination certificates could only be drawn up in three months and that the system would have to comply with data protection rules.

The head of the EC likely borrowed the term “green passport” from Israel, the world leader in vaccination against COVID-19. It must be a digital or physical document confirming that its sender has been vaccinated and therefore can visit entertainment, sports or catering facilities.

However, there is currently a great debate in the European Union about how such a European “green passport” could be used.

Countries heavily reliant on tourism, including Greece, and airline lobbyists are calling for this document to become a “vaccine passport” so that immunized people do not have to undergo testing or quarantine when traveling. .

However, most EU countries, including France and Germany, believe that such a move would be premature.

These countries fear creating a two-tier society where vaccinated people can enjoy life without restrictions, and the majority of those who have not yet received the vaccine must continue to comply with the restrictions.