EU to introduce digital vaccination passes

EU's European Commission president announces digital vaccination certificate proposals
VON DER LEYEN: The EC president has confirmed plans to develop an EU-wide digital vaccine certificate

The European Union is to present a legislative proposal this month for a digital ‘green pass’ vaccination certificate that will enable residents to prove that they have been inoculated against Covid-19.

The move comes as German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom announced that it has submitted a tender to the German government to design and develop a digital vaccine passport.

Legislative proposal

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen confirmed the decision to draw up a proposal for an EU-wide digital vaccine certificate in a Tweet.

“We’ll present this month a legislative proposal for a Digital Green Pass,” she wrote.

“The aim is to provide: proof that a person has been vaccinated; results of tests for those who couldn’t get a vaccine yet; info on Covid-19 recovery. It will respect data protection, security and privacy.”

“The Digital Green Pass should facilitate Europeans’ lives,” she added.

“The aim is to gradually enable them to move safely in the European Union or abroad — for work or tourism.”

In an earlier statement, released following a video conference with members of the European Council, von der Leyen said that EU countries had “agreed on what kind of data are needed for such a vaccination certificate for medical purposes.

“So very simple: it is a uniform content — which kind of vaccine has been used; it is a unique identifier — like an IBAN code; and a minimum dataset that is necessary for each certificate.

“Now, the Member States need to implement that in their healthcare systems and their border systems to make sure that their healthcare system is fit for purpose.

“And we offer, from the Commission side, to coordinate on the standards — like we have done with the tracing apps — and to create a gateway that connects the different national solutions with each other so that this information is interoperable over time.

“This takes a while, so this takes at least around three months.”

“Member States will need to move fast with the implementation if we want such a ‘green certificate’ to be in place by this summer,” she added.

“Beyond agreeing on the principles and the technology, they will have to ensure a quick and complete rollout in their national health systems and in their border systems.”

Deutsche Telekom bid

Deutsche Telekom’s bid to the German government to design a digital vaccination passport follows its launch of the Corona Warn app, which uses Bluetooth technology to alert those at risk of contracting the Covid-19 virus.

“A spokesman confirmed that the telecoms group had submitted a bid under a tender that was issued last week,” Reuters reports.

“[German] Health Minister Jens Spahn wants the vaccination passports ready in 12 weeks as part of EU plans under which they would serve as proof that a holder is vaccinated or has recovered from the viral disease and thus have a degree of protection against the disease.”

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