European Commission wants to extend COVID Pass by 1 year

BRUSSELS (ANP) - The European Commission wants to extend free travel in the European Union during the pandemic with a digital corona certificate (DCC) until 1 July 2023. The 27 member states and the European Parliament must agree with the proposal. The digital corona certificate (DCC) allows the owner to prove that they are fully vaccinated, have recovered from COVID-19 or have a recent negative PCR test. The other member states will, in principle, give the traveller free passage with a valid certificate without extra conditions, such as a period of quarantine.

In mid-2020, the EU countries agreed to recognise each other's vaccination certificates in one system using a QR code. The paper or digital certificate is intended to make travel within the EU easier for EU citizens at the time of the pandemic, but the QR codes are now also recognised in many other countries outside the EU.

Many member states also use the QR code to allow admission to catering facilities, museums and events. Brussels does not want to make European agreements on this. Each member state can therefore draw up its own rules. Some countries, for example, have introduced the 2G rule, which excludes unvaccinated people (without proof of recovery), such as in France and in some German federated states.

Brussels emphasises that this is a temporary measure and that a one-year extension has therefore been chosen. EU residents can get a QR code with a test, recovery certificate or vaccination certificate. The rules for the vaccination certificate were changed on 1 February: it is only valid if someone has had a booster vaccination nine months after the last injection.