Greece, Germany kick off EU vaccination journey certificates – KIRO 7 Information Seattle

ATHENS, Greece – (AP) – Greece, Germany and five other nations in the European Union launched a traveler vaccination certification system on Tuesday, weeks before the program was launched on July 1 in the 27-state block.

According to the EU Commission, the other countries starting early were Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Croatia and Poland.

Greece, which is heavily dependent on tourism, is pushing for the universally recognized certificate that uses a QR code with advanced security features. The certificates are issued to people who are fully vaccinated, already infected with the virus and developed antibodies, and others who have had a PCR test within the last 72 hours.

The documents will be available in both digital and paper form. They are distributed free of charge in the national language plus English and are valid in all countries in the block.

“EU citizens look forward to traveling again and they want to do so safely. Having an EU certificate is a crucial step on the way, ”said EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides.

Greek digital governance minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said traveling within the EU will be easier if nations adopt the new verification standard.

“What will happen is that the countries stop issuing certificates according to their own convention and adopt the common convention. That will make things a lot easier because you can imagine how many bilateral agreements would otherwise have to be worked out, ”Pierrakakis told Skai private television.

Kyriakides said over the next few weeks that all EU countries “need to fully finalize their national systems for issuing, storing and reviewing certificates so that the system works in time for the holiday season”.

Countries are allowed to add additional vaccines to their individual entry lists, including those that have not been officially approved for use across the EU.

The EU Commission is of the opinion that vaccinated people should no longer be tested or quarantined 14 days after the second vaccination, regardless of where they are going or where they are traveling.

However, the Member States have not yet agreed to this recommendation.

___ Cook reported from Brussels. ___

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