Preparation of the European Council meeting of 25 and 26 March 2021 – Digital Green Certificate (debate)
Speaker: Philippe LAMBERTS (Belgium, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Ecologistes Confédérés pour l'Organisation de Luttes Originales)
Date: 2021-03-24

  Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the Commission. – It has now been over a year since Europe went into lockdown and overnight our lives were turned upside down as we put all our energies into fighting this terrible virus, which is causing so much suffering in Europe and around the world. A year of being limited in what we can do, where we can go, whom we can see, with whom we can meet and this all has understandably led to some pandemic fatigue. But now is not the time to take our eye off the ball. Despite some problems with the vaccine procurement and AstraZeneca in particular, which continues to under-deliver, we have good reason to hope that the situation will improve in the second quarter. We expect to receive 200 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, 55 million doses of the single jab Johnson & Johnson vaccine and 35 million doses of the Moderna vaccine by the end of the second quarter. This is in addition to the 70 million doses of AstraZeneca currently foreseen, albeit far less than the contractually committed 180 million doses.
If these estimates prove accurate, we should achieve our target of having 70% of Europe’s adult population fully vaccinated by the end of the summer. This is all the more important when we see the worrying developments with the new variants, now representing close to 80% of infections in some countries and to the spectre of the third wave approaching. So, as underlined by President von der Leyen last week, we will use the EU’s export authorisation scheme to bolster transparency and ensure reciprocity and proportionality in our vaccine-related dealings with third countries, especially those which manufacture vaccines themselves. 
I would like to be clear. The mechanism is not an export ban. In fact, so far 380 out of 381 requests for an export authorisation have been approved and with 43 million doses exported to 33 countries since the end of January, the EU is the world’s biggest exporter of vaccines. We will continue to act fairly and responsibly and fulfil our global leadership role.
That is also why exports to low and middle-income countries, supplies through COVAX and exports to the EU overseas countries and territories remain unconditionally exempted. 
But we need to see fairness and the right balance when assessing the impact of planned exports. This is what the two adjustments to the existing mechanisms adopted today are about – to help us ensure timely access to vaccines for our EU citizens. 
As the president emphasised, this is an invitation to be open, because open roads run in both directions. We also need to forge an effective and lasting path towards reopening and recovery, one which fully upholds our fundamental principles of non-discrimination and data protection. 
To this end, last week, the Commission put forward a proposal to create a Digital Green Certificate to facilitate safe, free movement inside the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be available free of charge, in digital or paper format and QR codes will help ensure its security and authenticity. 
The Digital Green Certificate will work in three ways: first, it will offer proof that a person has either being vaccinated, received a recent negative test result or recovered from COVID-19 and thus has antibodies. 
Second, it will make sure that this proof is recognised in every Member State and third, the certificate will help Member States to establish full freedom of movement in a safe, responsible and trusted manner. The Commission will build a gateway to ensure all certificates can be verified across the European Union and will support Member States in the technical implementation of certificates. The aim is to have the system in place by June and for this reason we have to ask Parliament to treat this file under the urgent procedure.
We are counting on you. This is also an opportunity to influence global standards and lead by example based on our European values. The certificate is only part of our efforts towards a gradual safe and lasting reopening.
Last week we also adopted the communication laying out what is needed to achieve this, including a common framework for response measures and measures covering testing treatments and vaccine sharing. The communication also covered support for the tourism and cultural sectors and continued support for global efforts to combat the pandemic and announce the future EU strategy on COVID-19 therapeutics. 
Also, last week, we adopted the recommendation on the use of waste water monitoring to track COVID-19 and its variants. Waste water monitoring has proven to be an effective, reliable and relatively cheap way to identify the presence of the virus, allowing for its earlier detection.
And finally, we will issue a ‘Lessons learned’ communication in June as requested by the European Council. 
Moving on from COVID-19 matters, the Commission, together with the High Representative prepared a report on the state of play on political, economic and trade relations between the EU and Turkey. On this basis, leaders will give guidance on the way forward. It is clear that we must resolve our differences through dialogue and constructive credible steps on the ground. We therefore deeply regret Turkey’s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention and urge that this be reversed. 
Finally, on 9 March the Commission set out its digital vision and goals for 2030. It proposed a digital compass setting out ambitious targets for digital skills, digital infrastructure, the digital transformation of businesses and the digitisation of public administration. In addition, it will guide our international digital partnership.
We will also accelerate our work on the regulatory framework to accompany the Digital Transition. Later this year we will present further proposals on artificial intelligence, European digital identity and the single market for data. 
The third taxation of the digital economy is also a priority and we remain committed to finding a global solution on the reform of the corporate taxation framework by mid-2021 with our partners in the OECD. And we are optimistic about this process. But whatever its outcome, the Commission is committed to adopting a proposal on a digital levy by the end of the semester with a view to it becoming a new own resource. 
I can assure you that we can and we will design a digital levy, which is compatible with the OECD process. I will stop here, honourable Members, and I look forward to your questions.