Debate: State of play of the implementation of the EU Digital COVID Certificate regulations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 JULY 2021
Speaker: Didier Reynders
Language: FR

À l’époque, de nombreuses voix se sont demandé si l’Union européenne pouvait arriver à un tel résultat en aussi peu de temps. Mais grâce à la détermination conjointe de votre Parlement, du Conseil et de la Commission, ainsi que des autorités nationales des États membres, nous avons pu atteindre cet objectif ambitieux en un temps record. Je voudrais encore vous remercier pour votre engagement à faire de ce projet une réalité concrète. Grâce à nos efforts, les citoyens ainsi que d’autres résidents légaux ont désormais accès gratuitement à un certificat interopérable qui fonctionne partout où ils vont en Europe. While we can be proud of this achievement, the work didn’t end with the conclusion of the legislative process. A lot of technical progress also had to be accomplished. I’m glad to underline that as of 1 July all Member States are connected to the system, as well as our partners of the European Economic Area: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Actually, I have my own certificate on my smartphone and I was able to use it, it was not needed, to come to Strasbourg. I’m sure it is the case of many of you to use the same kind of certificates in different kinds of travels. In fact Member States have already issued more than 200 million EU certificates, a truly impressive number. Some Member States have indicated that they are not yet issuing all three types of certificates, but this is a limited and temporary phenomenon which is part of the phasing-in period.  The Commission is working closely with the Member States to support a smooth rollout. Commission experts are organising frequent meetings with experts from the Member States to resolve technical implementation issues, if any, and we continue to work on further improvements and simplifications to the system, in particular regarding the verification of certificates. We have also issued guidance to the Member States on the use of the certificates by airlines.  We are also willing to work with interested partners around the world that wish to connect their COVID-19 certificates to the EU system, where they are based on the same core principles of security and data protection. For this purpose, we have made our standards and software publicly available. The recognition of certificates issued by third countries will be subject to equivalence decisions.  The first third country being connected will be Switzerland given the agreement on free movement of persons concluded between the EU and this country. The Commission will adopt very soon an implementing decision connecting Switzerland to the EU system. After, we were able to confirm that Switzerland fulfils the technical conditions and provided formal assurance that it will accept EU certificates.  As you know, after the agreement on the Digital Covid Certificate Regulation, the Commission also proposed to update the Council recommendation on travel within the European Union. We sought to reinforce the coordinated EU approach to give practical effect to the important principles agreed in the new regulation and to enable citizens to make best use of their certificate. Following the adoption of this updated recommendation, I’m happy to report that most Member States are indeed exempting fully vaccinated or recovered persons from test and quarantine requirements. Other Member States are in the process of adapting their rules as a result of the entry into application of the EU certificate. In addition, the indication of a negative test result in the EU certificate typically exempts its holder from quarantine requirements unless he or she travels from a high-risk area.  Of course, we acknowledge that there are still differences in the approaches among Member States. Some of these differences are fully within the logic of our recommendation. For instance, Member States accept vaccines not centrally approved by the EU, such as vaccines on the WHO emergency list. One could of course push for an even more harmonised approach, but then we would also have to require some Member States to adopt stricter measures than what they have in place now.  I can assure you that the Commission continues to advocate for a coordinated approach and for a gradual and safe lifting of restrictions. At the end of June, together with Commissioners Kyriakides and Breton, we sent a letter to all Member States in which we underlined the importance of a consistent and timely implementation of the EU certificate and of the Council recommendations, and we continue to reach out bilaterally where we see further room for improvement.  At the same time, it cannot be excluded that some Member States will reimpose restrictions in cases where the epidemiological situation in another Member State worsens quickly, in particular as a result of a variant of concern. As you know, Member States have this possibility under the EU Certificate Regulation and a revised recommendation on intra-EU travel which provides for an emergency brake. For instance, Germany activated this mechanism recently. It had informed the Commission that it considered Portugal as a virus-variant area. Let me underline that as of today, Germany no longer applies this risk categorisation to Portugal. In general it is important that any triggering of the emergency brake is communicated to the Commission and other Member States as soon as possible. Member States should also follow the approach agreed in the recommendation, taking strict measures like quarantine but avoiding travel bans. But we now have a framework for such exceptional measures.  As far as monitoring is concerned, the Commission is using different channels. Both the regulation and the recommendation require Member States to inform the Commission of certain measures that they take. More generally, our services gather information on the reopened EU platform and Member States are providing us with information on a weekly basis. Obviously, there are many different variables involved, such as constant changes in the epidemiological situation or the emergence of variants of concern, and these pose challenges, but the Commission is fully committed to continuing its efforts.  The EU Certificate Regulation also underlines the importance of universal, timely and affordable access to vaccines and testing. To further support the availability of affordable tests, the Commission committed, in its statement accompanying the agreement on the certificate, to mobilise EUR 100 million under the emergency support instrument for the purchase of tests that qualify for the EU certificate. On 7 June the Commission asked Member States to express interest for this additional financial support. Twenty-four Member States have responded positively and the Commission has invited them to apply for the funding. The grants will take the form of lump-sum contributions. The overall amount will be determined on the basis of the number of tests that the Member State commits to provide to its citizens during the implementation period. The maximum amount that can be received by a Member State will be calculated on a pro rata basis. For the moment, the Commission does not plan to make additional funding available on top of the EUR 100 million already committed. But as vaccination rates continue to increase, we will hopefully need fewer and fewer tests as we move forward. Monsieur le Président, Mesdames et Messieurs les députés, le certificat COVID numérique est en fait la preuve que l’Union peut agir rapidement et fournir des solutions concrètes aux citoyens. Ce certificat est un outil qui permettra aux Européens de voyager plus librement cet été et par la suite, en toute sécurité et en toute confiance. Cela nous aidera également à relancer l’économie européenne, et pas uniquement dans le secteur du tourisme. Je tiens à nouveau à vous remercier pour votre soutien dans l’élaboration des réglementations. Ce soutien a été primordial dans ce dossier et je me réjouis bien entendu d’entendre vos remarques et vos observations à ce sujet dans un instant.