The EU-COVID digital certificate has reached another important milestone. The EU-level technical system that allows certificates to be checked in a secure and privacy-friendly way is now operational. The EU certificate has been proposed by the Commission for safe travel again this summer. It is free, secure and accessible to all. Available digitally or on paper, it proves that someone has been vaccinated against COVID-19, tested negative or recovered from infection.
On May 20, the European Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement on the certificate regulation, and today the technical heart of the EU systems becomes operational. Through the EU gateway, which was set up within two months, the security features in the QR codes of all certificates can be verified. That way, citizens and authorities can be sure that the certificates are authentic. No personal data is exchanged or stored during that process. The activation of the gateway completes the preparatory work at the EU level.
As of May 10, 22 countries have already successfully tested the gateway. The regulation comes into force on July 1, but all member states that have successfully completed the technical tests and are ready to issue and verify certificates can now start using the system on a voluntary basis. Seven member states - Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia, Poland and the Czech Republic - have already decided today to connect to the EU gateway and start issuing the first EU certificates, but certain countries will not introduce the EU-COVID digital certificate until all functions are available throughout the country. Therefore, more and more countries will join in the coming days and weeks. An updated overview can be found on a special website.
The May 20 political agreement was formally approved by the European Parliament and the Council. The regulation will enter into force on July 1, with a six-week start-up period for member states that need additional time to issue certificates. In addition, the Commission will continue to provide technical assistance and financial support to member states for connection to the EU gateway.
Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said, "The activation of the gateway is an important step, allowing member states to start using the gateway and issuing digital EU-COVID certificates. Seven member states is a good start. I encourage the others to follow as soon as possible. Timely preparation will allow the entire system to be fully operational by July 1 - when the proposal becomes applicable - and the EU will be ready in time to reopen this summer."
Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety said, "The EU-COVID digital certificate demonstrates the added value of effective e-health solutions for our citizens. It is important that all Member States finalize their national systems for issuing, storing and verifying certificates in the coming weeks so that the system is operational in time for the vacation season. European citizens are eager to be able to travel again, and they want to do so safely. Having an EU certificate in their pocket is the first step for that."
Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice, said,"The EU-COVID digital certificate provides European citizens with a common tool to regain free and secure travel. The certificate exemplifies Europe's technological leadership and is fully in line with our digital values and principles: data protection, inclusion and proportionality. It is important that all Member States use the coming weeks to be fully ready so that the system is fully operational on July 1."
