IATA Calls on EU to Introduce Vaccination Certificate to Facilitate Travel
The International Air Transport Association has also sponsored the proposal to impose a vaccination certificate that would allow all vaccinated people to fly freely within European countries without being forced to undergo COVID-19 testing (IATA).
The launching of a joint digital European COVID-19 document has sparked controversy recently.
While IATA has supported Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis idea to impose such a document in a bid to facilitate the movement within the bloc, the Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization Committee (WHO) opposed the idea, stressing that “the impact of vaccines on reducing transmission is not yet known”, AtoZSerwisplus.com reports.
IATA’s Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac, has urged the EU Member States to coordinate a policy that would help Europe recover from the devastating situation provoked by the Coronavirus situation.
“PM Mitsotakis’ initiative should be urgently adopted by the Commission and all member states. Vaccination is a fundamental key to safely reopening borders and stimulating economic recovery. A pan-European mutually-recognized vaccination certificate would be an essential step towards giving governments the confidence to open their borders safely, and passengers the confidence to fly without the barrier of quarantine,” de Juniac stressed.
According to IATA, Greece’s prime minister’s proposal could help “the re-establishment of mobility on a global scale” which the association considers as the foundation “for re-establishing economic activity to pre-crisis levels.”
IATA has highlighted that the requirement for a harmonized and safe restart of the aviation sector is more urgent than ever.
Earlier this month, the Greek Prime Minister sent a letter to the European Commission, urging the EC’s President Ursula von der Leyen to support the idea of establishing a vaccination certificate that could be used as an identification certificate for all travelers who have taken the vaccine against the deadly virus.
The EC’ President supported the idea; however, she stressed that EU countries should first discuss the plan and reach a standard agreement in this regard.
As yet, Denmark, Spain, Italy, and Iceland are among the countries that wish to use the document to facilitate the movement.
In April last year, an EU official told AtoZSerwisplus.com that foreigners who plan to travel to the Schengen Zone countries, once the vaccines start to rollout, must prove that they have taken the vaccine against the COVID-19 pandemic, to be permitted to enter in any Schengen country.
