EU plans changes to its travel rules in the face of a new wave of COVID

The European Union will discuss this week how to update its digital COVID certificates and what will be its approach to travel within and outside the bloc, as member countries take different measures to counter the latest wave of the pandemic.

“We need to avoid fragmentation”Said the health commissioner on Monday, Stella Kyriakides, to the European Parliament, emphasizing that the EU COVID certificate has become the “meeting point”Of coordination for the entire block.

Kyriakides confirmed that the commission will adopt changes to travel rules this week that “promote and recognize the important role of the EU Digital COVID Certificate that travelers carry today”.

On Wednesday, the commission is due to present proposals to the bloc’s ambassadors on how to review recommendations on non-essential travel between the EU and other countries, according to EU diplomats who declined to be named in confidential preparations. There are currently no plans to stop travel, but the evolution of the pandemic and possible blockades could affect the travel of those who have been vaccinated.

So far, the governments of the European Union have taken different measures as the pandemic worsens. While some Western European nations have managed to stop a deadly outbreak with high vaccination rates, Germany has lagged behind with less than 70% of the population fully vaccinated.

Austria, which again imposed lockdown, is considering imposing fines of up to 3,600 euros (US $ 4,058) for those who refuse to receive a coronavirus vaccine once vaccination mandates take effect next year.

The government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel is putting greater pressure on Germans to get vaccinated, and has announced plans to restrict many leisure activities for those who choose not to. By contrast, Belgium has reimposed rules on remote work and decided to keep nightclubs open.

The commission’s proposals on non-essential travel are not binding on Member States. Earlier this year, EU countries agreed to harmonize travel restrictions.

Currently, countries can require quarantine or COVID testing if people come from an area with a high enough infection rate, and they can also impose stricter restrictions on people traveling to or arriving from areas coded as “dark red”On the common map of the EU.

The framework also sets out recommendations for addressing travel from outside the EU. The rules of access to restaurants and public events are established by national governments.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, present a proposal on the validity of COVID certificates, said one of the diplomats. Harmonization is necessary as the current patchwork of regulations can complicate attempts to counter the pandemic, he added.

COVID certificates have helped facilitate travel across the EU, although some countries are beginning to impose new restrictions. Recently, Germany announced that people from Belgium, Ireland, Greece and the Netherlands who are not vaccinated or recovered from COVID will have to isolate themselves upon arrival, while Austria has banned leisure travel to the country until December 13.