During the plenary session (26-29 April 2021) in the European Parliament in Brussels, MEPs debate on the EU COVID-19 certificate. People who have this certificate should not be subject to additional travel restrictions, such as quarantine or self-isolation, according to the Parliament. MEPs also stress that, in order to avoid discrimination against those are not vaccinated and for economic reasons, EU countries should ensure universal, accessible, timely and free of charge testing. Extracts from the statements by Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Secretary of State, Council of the European Union, Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Rapporteur, Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, Jeroen LENAERS (EPP, NL), Sophia IN 'T VELD (Renew, NL), Annalisa TARDINO (ID, IT), Tineke STRIK (Greens/EFA, NL), Nicola PROCACCINI (ECR, IT), and Cornelia ERNST (The Left, DE).

Brussels

statement

plenary session

LÓPEZ AGUILAR, Juan Fernando (S&D, ES)

LENAERS, Jeroen (EPP, NL)

IN 'T VELD, Sophia (Renew, NL)

joint debate

ERNST, Cornelia (The Left, DE)

healthcare safety (T)

REYNDERS, Didier (BE, EC)

PROCACCI, Giovanni (ALDE, IT)

STRIK, Tineke (Greens/EFA, NL)

TARDINO, Annalisa (ID, IT)

Coronavirus outbreak (T)

vaccination strategy (T)

ZACARIAS, Ana Paula (PT)

EU covid-19 certificate (T)

EU COVID-19 certificate: extracts from the joint debate

Title: EU COVID-19 certificate: extracts from the joint debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Secretary of State, Council of the European Union, We have the same aim and that is to facilitate the life of our citizens in this very difficult moment so that families can be reunited so that students and tourists and business people can travel, finally regaining a sense of normality and putting our economy on the move.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Secretary of State, Council of the European Union, The question of accessibility and affordability of the Covid-19 tests is not covered by the Council mandate, nor is any question related to their fees. The Commission did not intend either to regulate this issue on its proposal. However, the Council and member states are quite mindful of the importance of eliminating or reducing the costs incurred by citizens.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Juan Fernando L&#211;PEZ AGUILAR (S&amp;D, ES), Rapporteur, The whole legal system of this certification needs to put an end to this chaos that we're living through, these discriminatory and different measures. We need a homogenous certificate that is valid in all member states, which can get rid of this cacophony of different measures that prevent people from moving freely, that discourage people.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, The digital green certificate will be available to all Europeans regardless of whether they are vaccinated, I said or not, and it will ensure a high level of data protection with a decentralised system of verification using a public key infrastructure.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, Commissioner, If member states wish to use the certificates for other purposes, they would need a legal basis at national level, in the natinoal law, which will have to be fully compliant with the general data protection regulation.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Juan Fernando L&#211;PEZ AGUILAR (S&amp;D, ES), Rapporteur, Without free movement we do not have a European Union and there won't be an economic or social recovery either. After the damage caused by the Covid pandemic, to so many sectors of the economy that rely on free movement, not only tourism sector and other sectors as well. The Commission has adopted this initiative in order to relaunch Schengen and free movement. In this case the data cannot be collected by a Central European database that can only be collected by the health authorities that issued the certificate, in the case of vaccinations and in the case of PCR tests. Those data cannot be used for any other purpose than guaranteeing free movement. They cannot be used internally by member states for allowing people to go to the theatre or a restaurant or public spaces.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jeroen LENAERS (EPP, NL), Today we show just how important this is for us by adopting this proposal, our proposal in a urgent procedure without compromising on the quality, because and I'm sure the Commissioner doesn't mind me saying, we make his proposal even better. Firstly, because now the certificate will actually mean something. It will be not just another app or a piece of paper adding bureaucracy, but it will really help citizens enjoy their right of free movement and it will limit restrictions.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sophia IN &apos;T VELD (Renew, NL), I think we should remember that this is not just about people who want to go on holidays, but this is also about people who work across borders, people who live in border areas, people who have their jobs, their school, their family across borders and they have been severely restricted in their freedom.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Annalisa TARDINO (ID, IT), I believe that considering all of the uncertainty related to the pandemic, it is important for us to work together, to drop ideological positions and work for tangible solutions, protecting the rights and choices of all, and to standardise rules with a view to the summer holidays.

SOUNDBITE (English), Tineke STRIK (Greens/EFA, NL), It ensures that the member states cannot discriminate between people with vaccine and people without vaccine, as people with a negative test are in a recovery stage have to be treated in the same way. We also ensured non-discrimination between wealthy people and less wealthy people as member states must grant a test for free and make them easily accessible.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Nicola PROCACCINI (ECR, IT), We need to have a tool immediately that will facilitate the free movement of individuals. We cannot allow any times of tourism dumping from one state to another with bilateral agreements.

SOUNDBITE (German), Cornelia ERNST (The Left, DE), We want equal, quick access, free of charge to tests. We want data protection, we want consideration to be given to the millions of cross-border workers. No additional measures, no additional purposes.