EU Commission: Digital Certificate allowing travel to Europe, gateway issuing documents goes live

The digital system set up at EU level to “verify certificates in a secure and privacy-friendly way” goes live today, the European Commission announced in a statement. The Certificate, which will facilitate the resumption of “safe travelling this summer”, will be “free of charge, secure and accessible to all”. Available in digital format or on paper, it will be a proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, tested negative, or recovered from an infection. The gateway, which was launched one month ahead of schedule, is already operational in 7 EU countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia and Poland). 22 countries have already tested it and may start using it even before 1 July, when the Digital COVID Certificate Regulation is due to come into force. The Certificate will have the necessary data and a digital signature stored in a QR code to prevent falsification. “No personal data is exchanged or retained”, the Commission explained. According to Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, this “shows the value added of effective e-health solutions for our citizens”. Member States, she added, are invited to finalise “their national systems to issue, store and verify certificates, so the system is functioning in time for the holiday season”.
Valentina Bombelli