The European Commission plans to make a number of changes to the EU COVID Digital Certificate as the idea for such a document is almost a year old.
In a proposal published on Thursday, February 3, the EU Commission recommended some limited amendments to the Regulation on the issuance and use of the COVID certificate, and also proposed that it be maintained for another year.
“The European Commission is proposing to extend the validity of the EU COVID digital certificate for a year, until 30 June 2023. The Commission is adopting this proposal today to ensure that the European Parliament and the Council have time to complete the legislative procedure before the expiration of the current regulation,” the press notes. Commission release.
It also lists the changes that need to be made to the Regulation in order to better adapt it to the evolution of the epidemiological situation:
- Inclusion of laboratory-based antigen tests among the tests for which certificates can be issued due to high demand for COVID-19 tests.
- Ensure that certificates include the correct number of doses of COVID-19 vaccine, even if the EU citizen received doses in different Member States.
- Issue a certificate to those involved in trials of new COVID-19 vaccines to encourage further development of such vaccines.
At the same time, the EU Commission emphasizes that the use of EU COVID digital certificates for domestic purposes remains a matter for EU Member States to decide for their own territory. The Commission also emphasizes that the Regulation on the certificate does not prescribe or prevent the use of the document for such purposes.
“Where a Member State establishes a COVID-19 certificate system for domestic purposes, it must continue to ensure that the EU COVID digital certificate is also fully accepted for those purposes,” the Commission explains in a press release.
It also encourages Member States to bring the validity period of certificates used for domestic purposes into line with the validity period set for travel purposes at the EU level.
In order for the changes to be introduced before June 30 this year, when the Regulation on certificates expires, the Commission called on the Parliament and the Council of the EU to adopt the proposal as soon as possible.
The Commission is due to publish a second report on the EU COVID Digital Certificate Regulation by the end of next month. The first report was published in October 2021.