EU Council Approves Amendments to the EU Digital COVID Certificate and Its One-Year Extension

Today, on June 28, the Council has agreed that the scheme should remain in place for another year in case the pandemic starts causing trouble again, asserting that the certificate has played an important role in the facilitation of free movement throughout the bloc over the past two years.

“The regulation establishing the EU digital COVID certificate will be prolonged by one year, until June 30 2023. The extension of the regulation will ensure that EU travellers, as well as those from third countries connected to the system, can continue to use their EU digital COVID certificate for travel within the Union in the Member States where these certificates are required,” the Council notes in a press release regarding the decision.

It also points out that if the situation regarding the pandemic continues to improve, the scheme can be put to an end earlier than June next year since the Council has obliged the Commission to compile and submit an assessment on the need to continue the certificate or repeal the scheme, by the end of this year, December 31, 2022.

At the same time, the Council has also approved amendments to the scheme, including here the Commission’s proposal that the certificates reflect all doses administered, regardless of the Member Country where the certificate holder was vaccinated.

The new amendments foresee the issuance of certificates of recovery for those who have resulted positive with an antigen test. Regarding the letter, the list of antigen tests used to qualify for a COVID-19 certificate will expand, as well.

The Council has also decided that vaccination certificates should be issued to persons participating in clinical trials in order to encourage further research regarding COVID-19 vaccines.

The move follows a deal reached by the European Parliament and the EU member states’ negotiators on June 14 on the extension of the COVID certificate. At the time, the EU Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, said that over 1.8 billion certificates had been issued, calling the scheme a key instrument in facilitating freedom of movement throughout the pandemic.

The regulation establishing the certificate was first adopted on June 14, 2021, and has been in force since the following July.

The majority of the Member States no longer oblige travellers to present a COVID-19 certificate upon arrival after the situation regarding the Coronavirus in their territory is no longer worrying.