Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 March, 2021 at 1:35 pm by Andre Camilleri
“Maltese and Gozitan workers and small businesses must be given peace of mind that the European Union is doing its utmost to ensure that safe freedom of movement within the EU’s internal borders is re-established as soon as possible,” this was said by Member of the European Parliament Cyrus Engerer when addressing a meeting of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats within the European Parliament about the European Commission’s latest proposal on a Green Digital Certificate which will help to facilitate travel during and after the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Engerer highlighted that the pandemic has taught us about the importance of cooperation between EU Member States in the health sector, and how this has left a positive effect on all European Citizens. He reiterated that it is impractical to have different, unharmonised certification systems in each Member State, especially when the language factor comes into play. With a single certificate for all EU citizens, peace of mind is ensured through a comprehensive and safe system.
“It is important that any system of digital certification for the EU results in the strengthening of freedom of movement, and not to create more barriers to the exercise of this right by EU citizens during such challenging times. European workers want to get back to work as European Institutions get a better handle on the virus. This certification helps achieve this goal, and will help european economies get back on track” said Engerer
He explained how this certificate is not a new concept, but rather a common approach to diseases in Europe. He said that similar vaccination passes have already existed for other infectious diseases and that this should be the natural way forward for a coordinated approach by the EU. At the same time we must also ensure the proposed systems guarantee a high level of data protection for all, using GDPR rules.
“This should be the first step in the road leading to the creation of a strong European Health Union where every European citizen can have their vaccination certificates and medical history accessible through a European health network. This will ensure that European citizens do not face obstacles when exercising their right to free movement in Europe arising from the lack of cross-border sharing of health data.” concluded Engerer.
