The European Union will propose issuing a certificate called a Digital Green Pass that would let people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus travel more freely, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said on Monday. Tourism-dependent nations like Greece have been pushing for such a plan to help salvage the summer travel season, while others, led by France, have been wary of the potential for discrimination between vaccinated and non-vaccinated Europeans, as well as possible infringement on personal data protection, The New York Times reported.

Following last week’s EU summit, where the idea was first discussed, Von der Leyen said the vaccine certificate could be launched in three months’ time, and that the pass would uphold data protection standards. Others have argued about the fairness of allowing only those who have had access to vaccines to travel while many others must still live under restrictions. The commission said last week it would seek to avoid discrimination against citizens who have not received a vaccine, according to Voice of America.

For Belgium, there is “no question” that the European Covid-19 digital vaccination passport will be linked to people’s freedom of movement, according to the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sophie Wilmès. Wilmès reacted on Twitter to say she opposes a link between free travel in the EU and possible vaccination. According to her, the idea of “a standardised European system that allows each individual to collect information about their vaccination and tests on a single digital document (certificate)” is a good one. “However, in Mrs Von der Leyen’s proposal, the term ‘pass’ is confusing when we look at the purpose of the certificate,” Wilmès added. “For Belgium, there is no question of linking vaccination to freedom of movement in Europe,” she said. “Respect for the principle of non-discrimination is all the more fundamental because vaccination is not compulsory and there is not yet universal access to the vaccine,” as reported by The Brussels Times.

Keep following TravelFree.info blog and LIKE our Facebook page, Twitter page

IMPORTANTWe have created a Facebook group, where you will get only the hottest travel deals and error fares. Join now! You are welcome to discuss topics about traveling! 

Do not miss next TRAVEL DEAL! SIGN UP HERE and get exclusive travel offers to your email box.

Accommodation:

Agoda is transforming travel for millions of customers across the globe. Part of the Booking Holdings, Agoda is one of the world’s largest online travel accommodation platforms with a network of over 2,000,000 vacation rentals and hotels worldwide.

Tours and excursions:

Do not have time to think about accommodation and tours? Have you heard about Tourradar? Multi-day tours to every part of the world: Safaris, Treks, Coach trips, Cruises, White Water Rafting, Mountain Biking, Sailing, Kayaking, Overland Trips and many more.

Have a look at Trip Advisor as well when planning your holiday to find out what’s hot and what’s not when it comes to all the local attractions.

Car rental:

You can find the best car rental prices in AutoEurope.com.

For over 60 years, Auto Europe has been a leader in worldwide car rental services and helped over 10 million travellers find the best options when travelling abroad. Through long-term relationships with top suppliers like Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, Europcar, National, Budget, Dollar, Buchbinder and Peugeot AutoEurope offer travellers the best rates at 20,000 pickup locations in over 180 countries worldwide.