It will enable people to travel around Europe for work or tourism.
A pass which proves a person has been vaccinated and can therefore move safely throughout the European Union is in the works.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced Monday morning that the EU will present a legislative proposal for “a digital green pass” later this month.
She revealed the aim of the pass is to provide proof that a person has been vaccinated, results of tests for those who could not get a vaccine yet, and information on a person’s Covid-19 recovery.
The EU Commission president said the pass will respect data protection, security and privacy.
“The Digital Green Pass should facilitate Europeans‘ lives,” she announced on Twitter.
“The aim is to gradually enable them to move safely in the European Union or abroad – for work or tourism.”
The proposal will be presented on March 17.
Providing more detail on the digital green passes, EU Commission spokesperson Christian Wiegand said if member states want them in place by summer, they will need to move fast in their preparations and rollouts.
He also said member states already agreed to basic data requirements for the passes in January.
While details of the digital green passes are still scarce as the proposal is “very much in the making now”, Wiegand added that the EU Commission will aim to keep people informed about its progress.
Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune welcomed the news of the pass.
She told Joe: “There is work to be done yet in terms of how it will work but we would hope that it will help to facilitate safe travel within the EU when appropriate.
“We must continue of course to do all we can to ensure people are safe from Covid-19 but it is important too that we consider proposals like this as more people are vaccinated.”
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