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A million Europeans obtain EU Covid health pass ahead of vote

More than one million Europeans have obtained the new EU Covid health certificate being rolled out in each country to unlock travel within the bloc, the European Commission said on Tuesday.

A million Europeans obtain EU Covid health pass ahead of vote
A policewoman at the Bregana border crossing between Croatia and Slovenia scans QR code on a EU's digital Covid passport on June 2, 2021. (Photo by Denis LOVROVIC / AFP)

EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders announced the figure to the European Parliament ahead of a vote to enshrine the scheme in law in time for the continent’s all-important summer tourism season.

It is expected to be passed by a big majority after agreement between MEPs and the EU’s 27 member states on details, with the vote result known early on Wednesday.

The certificate, also known as a Covid health pass or Covid immunity pass, is to be used for intra-EU travel from July 1st, which would then spare travellers the need for quarantine or further testing for travellers.

It will show the bearer’s immunity to Covid-19 either through vaccination or previous infection, or their negative test status.

But the commission wants as many EU countries as possible to start earlier. But it relies on countries launching their own digital Covid passes that can be recognised across the EU. The EU will not produce its own app. Some countries are further ahead of others.

A spokesman for the EU Commission told The Local: “Every member state will need to develop their national implementation for the EU Digital Covid Certificate. National wallet apps could be developed, but are not the only option. Integration in existing tracing or other apps, commercial solutions, digital storage of PDFs and of course paper certificates are also possible.”

Justice Commissioner Reynders said: “The more certificates we can already issue, the easier the process will be during the summer — otherwise, we risk a big bang on the first of July, which we cannot afford.”

READ ALSO: How will the EU’s Covid passports work for travellers?

Nine countries

As of Tuesday, nine EU countries were already issuing the certificates — including the sunny tourist destinations of Greece, Spain and Croatia. It is also being trialled in parts of Germany.

Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Lithuania and Poland were the others.

“More than a million citizens have already received such certificates, and many more will follow in the next weeks and months,” Reynders said.

The EU Digital Covid Certificate can be presented either in digital format, on a smartphone for example, or printed out on paper.

It features a QR code for verification, which border officials and venue staff can use to check against digital signatures stored securely in Luxembourg servers.

Only minimal data of the bearer are included on the certificates, to prevent identity skimming, and the EU legislation surrounding their use is due to expire after a year, so that they do not become a fixture with potential Big Brother uses in the future.

EU lawmakers and capitals also agreed that, when it comes to proof of vaccinations, only the jabs authorised by the European Medicines Agency — so far those from BioNTech/Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — would be accepted in all EU countries.

But individual countries can also decide to accept, for their territory only, others, such as one produced by China, or Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.

Money and concessions

To prevent discrimination against the unvaccinated — particularly younger Europeans who have not yet been able to access jabs given in priority to the elderly — much emphasis has also been put on testing.

The parliament failed to make Covid tests for travel free of charge, but extracted money and concessions from the European Commission to make them more affordable.

Reynders said work was ongoing to also expand the use of the EU Digital Covid Certificate so that it is accepted beyond Europe.

Talks have been under way with the United States, for some sort of mutual recognition of vaccination status.

But have run up against the problem that there is no single federally backed certificated in the US, only a myriad of state and private vaccination cards almost impossible to authenticate abroad.

Member comments

  1. To share something good, I watch this youtube channel myself: A Voice In The Desert And recommend to anyone wanting to learn more.

    Please get both doses of the vaccines and use a mask at least till everyone has both doses, preventing covid-19 deaths and damage.

    1. So happy to see Europe is implementing a vaccine passport so tourist destinations can return to some form of normalcy. I live in Orlando, FL USA and I have been vaccinated and given a CDC QR code proof of vaccination. The author of the article mentioned that while up to 70% of Americans have been completely vaccinated or at least have one of two doses and have a QR code, our CDC cards are administered by state governments, not the federal ( national) government. I hope President Biden ( sane , instead of our insane former president) will implement a national vaccine for those citizens that request one. I have friends in Sweden I have not visited in years, and was hoping to visit last summer. Maybe in the fall vaccinated US citizens can visit EU nations an spend our dollars to help industries that rely on tourists to survive.

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For members

TOURISM

Where in Norway do they dislike tourists? 

Norway can be considered a very tourist-friendly country, and visitors are welcome almost everywhere. Still, there are some areas where locals have had issues with travellers. 

Where in Norway do they dislike tourists? 

Due to its mixture of vibrant cities and stunning natural beauty, Norway is an all-year-round destination, and tourists are attracted to all corners of the country. 

However, not all countries with a booming tourism trade have a track record for being friendly or welcoming towards tourists. 

Norway is generally welcoming to visitors from abroad. This contrasts with some countries, like France, where the locals have developed a reputation for being rude to tourists. 

While reserved, Norwegians can be considered very polite and have high English language proficiency, meaning they are willing and able to help tourists. 

Still, there are some areas of the country where tourists are less welcome and where the locals may be frustrated by the presence of tourists. 

So, where aren’t tourists welcome, and why? 

Tourists are generally less likely to be welcomed in more rural areas with a large influx of visitors. These include mountainous areas like the Lofoten region, cruise ports in Flåm or Geiranger, or nature spots like Trolltunga and Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock). 

Some smaller cities have also seen locals push back against tourists, an example being Ålesund on the west coast of Norway, where many busses have caused issues at the city’s famous outlook point. 

The reasons why tourists are disliked in some of these areas are a combination of factors, and over-tourism is the first. 

READ ALSO: Are Norway’s top attractions at risk of over-tourism?

There is an argument to be made that too many tourists are visiting these locations, and there isn’t enough capacity for local services, or the sheer number of tourists is damaging the surrounding nature. 

In recent years, there have been issues with roads and parking areas near Pulpit Rock due to congestion. Furthermore, the number of tourists who visit the site has been limited to prevent trails from becoming ruined. 

For example, the cost of maintaining tourist trails could otherwise be spent on local health care or schools. 

Concerns have also been raised that cruise ships are polluting Norway’s fjords. This led to the government adopting environmental legislation in 2018 to ensure that ferries and cruise ships would need to be environmentally friendly to sail in the UNESCO heritage fjords from 2026. 

This degradation of nature naturally upsets locals living in the area as they don’t want to see such precious natural resources ruined.

Furthermore, many cruise ports are located in small villages and towns, meaning that during peak season, the tens of thousands of tourists easily outnumber the full-time residents. 

Some places have seen posters urging cruise tourists to “go home.” However, locals’ anger is mainly directed towards cruise companies rather than tourists.

This issue isn’t entirely to blame on tourists, either. While they ultimately book the vacations, the travel industry sells the trips and contributes to local bottlenecks.

In some cases, local economies are dependent on tourism revenue and are unwilling to limit the number of visitors. 

In the case of the UNESCO fjords threatened by pollution, local politicians had debated dropping the UNESCO title to ensure cruise ships can still get into the Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord to protect the local economy

In some cases, though, it’s the actions of tourists that also contribute to their bad reputation. Illegal parking and poor driving in Lofoten, primarily by tourists, led to the local authorities cracking down

Hefty fines of 900 kroner were implemented to try and curb the issues with foreign drivers. 

Some tourists also take Norway’s nature and laws making it accessible for granted. Littering and people leaving behind human waste have been issues at camping locations and on mountain trails for years. 

People mistaking the public right of access rules in Norway to camp where they shouldn’t be has also caused problems. 

Another issue has been ill-prepared tourists trying to tackle some of the tougher-to-access nature spots without proper gear or preparation. 

When they inevitably need rescuing, locals are left annoyed as it wastes resources that could be better used elsewhere. 

Essentially, these issues are due to pure carelessness and a lack of respect for the locals and their surroundings. 

Some also resent that some tourists pay vast sums to travel firms but want to avoid spending money locally. 

What can be done about this? 

In some cases, it can be a case of tourists just ensuring they behave themselves in the hope they can contribute to a changing narrative in these areas. 

Travelling out of season can also prevent the bottlenecks that threaten nature and disrupt the lives of locals. This also means fewer crowds and queues for you. 

In some cases, this isn’t possible; for example, many mountains are closed during the winter for safety reasons. 

In other cases, it’s more about what local authorities and the government can do. 

Several areas affected by over-tourism have expressed an interest in trialling a long-proposed tourist tax. They argue that tourists contributing to the maintenance of paths and trails would take a significant burden off the local authorities that are left to foot the bill. 

Some businesses can also take individual action. Fjellstua, one of Ålesund’s most popular attractions, has introduced gates to prevent overcrowding and vandalism.  

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