The transport and tourism associations have once again called on member states of the European Union to harmonize their travel rules introduced in response to the coronavirus situation in order to prevent the emergence of a patchwork system.
The associations supported the European Commission, which stressed that the agreed duration of the European Union Covid digital certificate is necessary for safe free movement and coordination at the EU level, according to EU Reporter, SchengenVisaInfo.com.
European countries have been hit hard by the spread of the coronavirus and, more recently, its Omicron variant, forcing governments to tighten entry rules to stop another spike in infections.
As a result, on December 21, the European Commission announced that the EU COVID Certificate EUDCC will be reduced without additional vaccination. It was reported that from February 1, European Union member states will reduce the validity of vaccination documents to 270 days.
However, some European countries such as Italy, France and Denmark have decided to reduce the validity of such documents for national use to seven or three months.
In addition, the rapid spread of the virus has led some countries to apply additional entry requirements, such as testing rules for vaccinated or recovered EU travelers, in violation of current Council Recommendations.
To facilitate the travel process, the Council of the EU recently introduced a new recommendation that measures against coronavirus should be applied taking into account the individual risk to human health and repeal the current rule, which is more focused on the situation of COVID-19 in the traveler’s country of origin, with the exception of high-risk areas.
The new changes, also effective February 1, aim to make travel easier for non-EU citizens who have completed their COVID-19 immunizations.
“This means that a COVID-19 vaccination, test or recovery status, verified by a valid EU COVID digital certificate, should be a key determinant of traveler status. An identity-based approach would greatly simplify applicable regulations and provide additional clarity and predictability for travelers “, the Council of the European Union said in a statement.
However, travelers planning to enter EU and Schengen countries may face tougher entry rules from February 1st as their vaccination certificates will no longer be recognized.