Debate: Harmonised EU approach to travel measures
Date: WEDNESDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2022
Speaker: Didier Reynders
Language: FR

Depuis le début de la pandémie, la Commission travaille avec les États membres pour s’assurer que, grâce à une meilleure coordination, nous pouvons limiter l’impact des restrictions sur les déplacements au sein de l’Union européenne. L’adoption du certificat COVID numérique européen par votre Parlement et par le Conseil en juin de l’année dernière, sur proposition de la Commission, a été l’une des étapes importantes de cet effort. Le certificat européen a démontré que l’Union peut apporter des avantages concrets aux citoyens, et ce, en un temps record. Il a facilité les déplacements des citoyens européens pendant la pandémie en leur fournissant un document fiable et reconnu dans l’ensemble de l’Union. Nous avons eu à cœur que le certificat soit gratuit et facilement accessible pour les citoyens, et que la protection des données fasse partie intégrante du système mis en place. Nous avons aussi veillé à ce que ce mécanisme soit temporaire. Les chiffres démontrent le succès du certificat: en un peu plus de sept mois depuis sa mise en place, les États membres ont émis près de 1,3 milliard de certificats, et de nombreux pays tiers se connectent progressivement au système européen, le seul qui soit opérationnel au niveau international. Nous avons 35 pays tiers déjà connectés, et, pour le moment, nous évaluons les demandes de 22 autres pays. Aujourd’hui, il est difficile d’imaginer un scénario alternatif, qui aurait été très probable sans le certificat européen: 27 systèmes nationaux potentiellement incompatibles, ou un système géré par des entreprises technologiques étrangères qui collectent et utilisent les données de santé des citoyens. Tout cela ne répondrait pas à nos attentes.  On 3 February the Commission therefore proposed to extend the EU certificate by a year. The reason is simple: we cannot predict how the pandemic will evolve. Therefore, we cannot predict when Member States will have lifted all travel restrictions, such as requesting proof of vaccination or a negative test. If we were to dismantle the system now, it would not be available to EU citizens to travel within the Union during the summer and in the second half of this year. The citizens would not be able to rely on the certificates should they still face travel restrictions from Member States. And they would rightly wonder why we prematurely ended a system that works and that everybody is now familiar with.  However, this extension of our system of the EU certificate should not be confused with the issue of maintaining travel restrictions. I want to be clear that the regulation on the EU certificate never obliges Member States to impose any travel restrictions. The Commission strongly supports Member States’ decisions to lift such restrictions wherever possible. Extending the regulation does not prevent them at all from doing so. The Commission’s line has been clear since the beginning: as soon as free movement restrictions are no longer necessary and proportionate, Member States should lift them.  Some Member States may consider it necessary to maintain certain restrictions for reasons of public health. We will continue to push them to implement the approach agreed upon in a recent revision of the Council recommendation on free movement. The basic idea is that with a valid EU certificate, I should be able to travel without additional restrictions in the entire European Union. At the same time, the Commission has not proposed to include in the EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation detailed rules on travel restrictions – and a legally binding framework relating to restrictions in EU law could even be counterproductive. In fact, it would be very difficult to adapt it in the light of new developments and differing situations in the Member States. But, as I said, be sure that the Commission monitors the situation closely and that we maintain a certain level of coordination, notably thanks to the Council recommendation.  Turning back to our legislative proposal, the extension of the certificate by one year is at its centre. Apart from that, the Commission is proposing a very few improvements to this system. First, we propose that Member States could issue test certificates also for lab-based antigen tests. This would increase the types of test that can be used for the issuance of EU certificates.  Second, we propose a specific provision for participants in clinical trials. The fact that we all can profit from safe and effective vaccines is in great part due to the willingness of volunteers to take part in such trials. They should be able to receive an EU certificate. We cannot risk discouraging volunteers from participating in clinical trials. Of course, our approach needs to ensure the scientific integrity of the trials.  The decision to extend the EU certificate is now in the hands of the Parliament and the Council. I’m looking forward to continuing our excellent cooperation on this file.  Let me also say a few words about the domestic use of the certificate. As the Commission has said from the beginning, the decision on if and how to use the EU certificate at the domestic level is a public-health decision of each Member State. When taking such decisions, national authorities need to take into account different elements and the use of COVID certificates must fit the health policies of the Member States. A one-size-fits-all approach at EU level would be unrealistic and most likely again, even counterproductive. I doubt that those who disagree with the way the certificate is used in the Member States would want this to be decided at EU level, and banning the use of the EU certificate for domestic purposes would only lead to separate systems of national certificates to the detriment of EU citizens who travel within the Union. This is not to say that the Commission is not aware of the practical difficulties faced by some travellers during the pandemic.  Lately, we have seen Member States adopt different validity periods for COVID certificates, in particular in response to scientific evidence about the waning protection of the primary vaccination series. To ensure a coordinated approach in the context of travel, the Commission has swiftly adopted a delegated act, establishing a uniform acceptance period. This delegated act entered into force on 1 February. We have also called on Member States to align their domestic validity periods accordingly, but we are not competent to oblige them to do so as regards the domestic use of the certificate.  The Commission is also working on other improvements to the EU system. We plan to adopt a delegated act allowing Member States to issue recovery certificates based on high-quality rapid antigen tests. We intend to do so and to do this swiftly. We need to make it easier for citizens who test positive during the Omicron wave to receive a recovery certificate. This objective to act quickly is the reason why we did not include this aspect in all legislative proposals to extend the regulation. Monsieur le Président, Mesdames et Messieurs les Députés, avec les vagues des variants Delta et Omicron, nous avons traversé l’une des périodes les plus intenses de la pandémie. Cela a inévitablement eu un impact sur l’exercice de la libre circulation. Soyez assurés que la Commission poursuivra ses efforts pour soutenir la coordination des mesures prises par les États membres. Si nécessaire, nous proposerons d’autres modifications aux recommandations applicables en la matière. Notre objectif a toujours été et sera toujours le même: un retour à une libre circulation sans restriction, dès que possible. Bien que je sois fier de ce que nous avons réalisé avec le certificat européen, j’attends avec impatience le jour où il ne sera plus nécessaire pour se déplacer, parce que cela signifiera que nous avons enfin surmonté la pandémie. Je vous remercie et je suis évidemment à l’écoute de vos observations, de vos remarques et de vos propositions.