Some EU countries may not be ready to admit travelers with the so-called corona pass until August. The Netherlands itself wants to start with it at the end of June or the beginning of July, but Prime Minister Mark Rutte does not rule out that it will take a lot longer in other member states.
The EU countries must agree again on the rules for the QR code with which travelers will soon be able to demonstrate that they are not carrying the corona virus. If that works according to plan, it will take effect on June 21. But the member states then have six weeks to introduce them, Rutte remembers.
After 21 June, the Netherlands "does not want to lose any time" and is aiming for "days, a maximum of one to two weeks" to get started, Rutte said after consultation with the other EU leaders. He points out that “a lot of countries have an interest” to start as soon as possible, for example the holiday countries that do not want another summer without making a living.
QR code
With the corona certificate with QR code, travelers will soon be able to prove that they have been vaccinated, tested negative or have recently undergone an infection and are therefore protected. As a result, with the summer season just around the corner, countries should be able to safely receive tourists and other travelers again.
If the 'corona pass' works in the EU, it does not mean that all EU citizens can go everywhere again. For example, if a country vaccinates with a vaccine that other countries do not recognize, they can “in the worst case” impose a quarantine on travelers from that country, Rutte acknowledges. But he hopes that countries like Hungary, which now uses Chinese and Russian vaccines, for example, and the other member states will become more aligned in the near future. "But if you keep a few differences, that's not a disaster either."
Rutte does not see any point in making the QR code visible, for example, with which vaccine the carrier has been vaccinated. "Privacy is very important to us."
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