Approximately 1.7 billion Covid certificates have been issued so far, and the EU Commission believes it is time to harmonise the regulations and make travel easier.
Didier Reynders, the European Union’s Commissioner for Justice, has urged Member States that still impose travel restrictions due to the Coronavirus to lift them.
He made these remarks while commenting on the Commission’s adoption of the second report on the impact and implementation of the EU Digital COVID Certificate across the EU on Tuesday, March 15.
“As the situation evolves, the Commission is working to ensure that unrestricted free movement is restored as soon as possible.” “We urge Member States to lift the last remaining travel restrictions, especially where domestic measures are being lifted,” he said.
At the same time, he revealed that over 1.7 billion certificates have been issued across the EU since July 2021, in an attempt by EU authorities to ease COVID-19 travel restrictions and restore freedom of movement within the bloc.
“To date, more than 1.7 billion certificates have been issued.” “The EU Digital COVID Certificate has proven to be a dependable and simple-to-use tool, allowing citizens to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the Commissioner.
Previously, on March 11, the EU Council approved extending the use of the European Union’s Digital COVID Certificate for another year, until the end of June 2023.
At the same time, several changes to the certificate have been approved for implementation in an effort by authorities to better adapt the document’s use to the evolving Coronavirus situation in the bloc and worldwide.
All doses can now be included in a vaccination certificate, regardless of where they were administered.
Travellers can now obtain certificates of recovery if they have an antigen test with positive COVID-19 results, which was previously not permitted.
The EU Digital COVID Certificate has been in use since mid-2021, allowing those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, those who have recovered from the virus, and those who have tested negative to travel more freely between Member States.
Aside from certificates issued by the EU and Schengen Area member states, the EU recognizes certificates issued by over 30 other countries through the EU Digital COVID Certificate gateway. The following is a complete list of the countries that are linked to this system:
- 27 EU member countries
- Albania
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Benin
- Cabo Verde
- El Salvador
- Faroe Islands
- Georgia
- Israel
- Iceland
- Jordan
- Lebanon
- Liechtenstein
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- New Zealand
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Panama
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Togo
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- The United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man)
- Uruguay
- The Vatican
Source: Schengen Visa Info
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