The
executive European Commission is due to present a proposal this
week to coordinate free movement using COVID-19 passes, after
Austria became the first country in western Europe on Monday to
reimpose a lockdown since vaccines were rolled out.
EU coordination on the passes, showing if a holder is fully
vaccinated or has a recent negative test or recovery from
infection, has allowed an easing of curbs on cross-border
travel.
The passes, typically viewed on mobile devices, are issued by
individual countries, but are recognised for travel across the
bloc. They are now increasingly being deployed in many EU
countries for access to indoor areas such as bars or theatres.
Greece has proposed that people should in future only be able to
travel freely if they have received a second or third dose in
the previous six months and that booster doses should be added
to the information shown in EU passes.
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said it was vital the
27 EU states agree a common standard. His country would normally
receive about 200,000 workers a day from neighbouring countries.
"We can't have different systems in Luxembourg and in Greece, or
in Germany or France. It would be against the interests of the
European citizens. They demand that of us and it can be done,"
he told reporters before a meeting of EU counterparts in
Brussels.
Irish EU affairs minister Thomas Byrne echoed the view that the
EU digital COVID passes, launched in July, needed to continue to
facilitate free movement.
German European Affairs Minister Michael Roth said booster doses
were now "the order of the day", pointing to scientific studies
that show they really bolster immunity. He added: "A digital
vaccination certificate is of paramount importance, but it must
be based on scientific knowledge."
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, Editing by William Maclean)
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