Keen to ease travel among EU countries, Greece has proposed the introduction of a Covid-19 vaccination certificate, it emerged on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to that effect.
“It is urgent to adopt a common understanding on how a vaccination certificate should be structured so as to be accepted in all member-states,” said Mitsotakis, who hopes to bring up the issue at an EU summit on January 21.
He added that while such a process “may sound simple… the lengthy experience we have had on developing a common PLF (Passenger Locator Form) has shown us that there is an urgent need for a high-level EU-wide mobilization to move things forward.”
“Ensuring the quickest possible re-establishment of freedom of movement… is, of necessity, a fundamental priority for us all,” Mitsotakis said.
He stressed that Greece is “not going to make vaccination compulsory or a prerequisite for travel”; however, he stated that “persons who have been vaccinated should be free to travel.”
A certificate, he also said, would further “provide a positive incentive for ensuring that citizens are encouraged to undergo vaccination.”
EU to discuss proposal
European Commission spokesman Stefan de Keersmaecker said on Tuesday that “all the issues brought up in this letter, together with other questions concerning vaccinations, will be discussed in the framework of the European Council.”
“We are awaiting the results of this important meeting and will be in a position to examine and respond to the letter we received from the [Greek] prime minister,” he added.
Along with the letter, Mitsotakis attached a draft certificate created by Greek authorities that could serve as a starting point for a discussion on such an initiative.
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