Austria doesn’t wait for EU, passes COVID-19 certificate

The Austrian parliament approved a bill on Wednesday (26 May) introducing the so-called “green pass” which would grant holders access to restaurants, hotels and cultural facilities if they can prove they are vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19 or tested negative for…

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced plans to introduce a national green certificate in an attempt to revitalise the economy, despite the European Commission announcing the introduction of the digital green certificates by summer. “We can’t wait for the EU”, Kurz…

The European Commission has denied claims by the Austrian government that it announced last minute changes to the technical requirements of the upcoming “green pass” digital COVID-19 certificate, prompting a delay to Austria’s roll-out of the scheme. “The technical specifications…

The European Commission expects to finish work soon on a COVID-19 certificate that could allow citizens to travel more easily this summer in the 27-nation bloc, the EU executive said after a meeting with European affairs ministers.

Tourism plays an enormously important role in the EU economy and society. It generates foreign exchange, supports jobs and businesses, and drives forward local development and cultural exchanges. It also makes places more attractive, not only as destinations to visit but also as locations to live, work, invest and study. Furthermore, as tourism is closely linked with many other sectors – particularly transport – it also affects the wider economy. The coronavirus pandemic has hit the tourism sector hard. The impact on various tourist destinations in the EU has been asymmetrical and highly localised, reflecting differences in types of tourism on offer, varying travel restrictions, the size of domestic tourism markets, level of exposure to international tourism, and the importance of tourism in the local economy. At the beginning of summer 2021, several EU Member States started to remove certain travel restrictions (such as the requirements for quarantine or testing for fully vaccinated travellers coming from certain countries). However, all continue to apply many sanitary and health measures (such as limits on the number of people in common areas, and cleaning and disinfection of spaces). Such measures and restrictions change in line with the evolving public health situation, sometimes at short notice, making recovery difficult for the sector. The EU and its Member States have provided the tourism sector with financial and other support. Some measures were already adopted in 2020. Others were endorsed only shortly before the beginning of summer 2021. One flagship action has been the speedy adoption of an EU Digital Covid Certificate. This certificate harmonises, at EU level, proof of vaccination, Covid-19 test results and certified recovery from the virus. However, it does not end the patchwork of travel rules. Despite efforts to harmonise travel rules at Council level, Member States still apply different rules to various categories of traveller (such as children or travellers arriving from third countries).

Source : © European Union, 2021 – EP