Schinas sees vaccine certificate before summer

European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas expressed optimism on Tuesday that an agreement will be reached soon so that the coronavirus vaccination certificate can be rolled out before the summer. 

“I believe that there is a convergence on the need to have this digital certificate, which will be a European product and will be the same throughout Europe,” Schinas, who is on a visit to Athens, told state broadcaster ERT.

He added that the European Commission’s proposal for such a digital certificate will be presented on March 17 but stressed that the proposal will comprise the specifications for the digital certificate but not the parameters for its use. 

The proposal, he explained, will be discussed at the European Council on March 25 and the relevant councils of ministers, before the technical work is carried out so that the system can be accessed by the citizens of each member-state.

Schinas said that the aim is for all these processes to be completed before the summer.

The scheme is being pushed by member-states like Greece that rely heavily on tourism and are seeking safe ways to reopen travel in the bloc. [ANA-MPA]