COVID-19 Coronavirus: EU Commission, proposal to extend COVID Certificate by one year until June 2023

The European Commission is proposing to extend the EU Digital COVID Certificate (Green Certificate) by a year, until 30 June 2023. The COVID-19 virus, a statement issued by the Commission in Brussels reads, “continues to be prevalent in Europe and at this stage it is not possible to determine the impact of a possible increase in infections in the second half of 2022 or of the emergence of new variants”. Extending the Green Certificate “will ensure that travellers can continue using their EU Digital COVID Certificate when travelling in the EU where Member States maintain certain public health measures”. The Commission is adopting the proposal today to “make sure the European Parliament and the Council can conclude the legislative procedure in time before the current Regulation expires”. In addition to the extension of the EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation until June 2023, the Commission also proposes some limited amendments: to include high-quality laboratory-based antigen tests among the types of tests for which a test certificate can be issued; to ensure that vaccination certificates contain the correct overall number of doses administered in any Member State and not just in the Member State issuing the certificate (“this is to address practical concerns raised by citizens about certificates indicating an incorrect number of doses when they receive vaccine doses in different Member States”).
Valentina Bombelli