EU Lawmakers Debate Health Pass for Summer Travel Amid Disagreements

The two parties resumed consultations on May 18 in order to find common ground to make the European health pass operational before the end of June 2021. This pass must be proof that its holder has been vaccinated, or that he has passed a negative Covid test or that he is immune after his infection with the virus. Several countries have already initiated the implementation of these initiatives.

However, observes the German MEP Birgit Sippel, "for the moment, there are still many open questions". On the one hand, the European Parliament wants the tests to be free. On the other hand, some Member States reject this proposal, given the cost of this free service. The Parliament also demands that any person holding a certificate be exempted from quarantine or additional testing imposed by the host country. Something that the Member States also reject, seeing it as an incursion into their field of sovereignty.

According to the negotiators, if no favorable outcome is found, the consultations will continue in the following days. But it is urgent to find an agreement quickly given the importance of this certificate for the European economy, said the German industrial lobby VDMA. This would allow the detachment of workers by companies, according to its managing director Thilo Brodtmann, urging the negotiators to "pragmatism". In this sense, "everyone is willing to move forward. We are hopeful of getting there this week," concludes a diplomatic source.