Commission’s Report on EU Digital COVID Certificate Highlights Tangible Benefits of the Document
According to the data provided in the report, the Member States of the European Union have issued more than two billion EU COVID Certificates since the launch of the system in 2021, and since then the document served to advance healthcare digitalisation, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
In addition, the EU COVID Certificate has also facilitated the free movement of people when restrictions were in place and it permitted the lifting of the restrictions.
“With more than two billion certificates issued, the EU Digital COVID Certificate has delivered tangible benefits for EU citizens: it has facilitated free movement when travel restrictions were still deemed necessary, and, at the same time, it has allowed for a coordinated lifting of these restrictions once possible,” the statement of the Commission reads.
The report has further highlighted that besides the Member States of the EU, another 49 countries and territories from all the continents joined the system, making it a global standard.
Commenting on the benefits of the EU COVID Certificate, the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, said that the document made free movement easier and helped the countries to lift the restrictions as soon as the situation started to improve.
“The EU Digital COVID Certificate facilitated free movement when COVID-19 travel restrictions were still considered necessary, and, at the same time, it ensured a coordinated lifting of these restrictions once the situation improved,” Reynders stated.
The report further stressed that without the EU COVID Certificate, citizens of the EU would not have been able to enjoy the right to be issued a vaccination, recovery, or test certificate accepted by the other Member States.
Additionally, it highlighted that the system has proved that the EU Member States are capable of developing innovative solutions in a short period of time while protecting data.
Apart from highlighting the benefits of the EU COVID Certificate, the report emphasised that it is reasonable to keep the system in place during the 2022-23 period, suggesting that the system can not be scrapped just yet.
