EU Proposes Keeping Vaccine Passport For Another Whole Year, Despite Members Dropping COVID-19 Restrictions

The European Commission, the governing body of the European Union, announced a proposal Thursday to renew the EU’s COVID-19 Vaccine Passport for another year, even after a number of European countries rescinding their pandemic restrictions.

“Today the European Commission is proposing to extend the EU Digital COVID Certificate by a year, until 30 June 2023,” the Commission wrote on its website. “The COVID-19 virus continues to be prevalent in Europe and at this stage it is not possible to determine the impact of a possible increase in infections in the second half of 2022 or of the emergence of new variants. Extending the Regulation will ensure that travellers can continue using their EU Digital COVID Certificate when travelling in the EU where Member States maintain certain public health measures. The Commission is adopting the proposal today to make sure the European Parliament and the Council can conclude the legislative procedure in time before the current Regulation expires.”

In addition, the Commission proposed several limited amendments to the passport initiative, which consists of a free mobile app used to prove that a traveler has been vaccinated for COVID-19, has received a negative COVID-19 test, or has been recently diagnosed with and recovered from the virus. – READ MORE