A motion by D66 is also signed by CDA, SP, PvdA, GroenLinks, ChristenUnie, VOLT and DENK. This means that the motion has the support of a majority.
Dichotomy
“We have not finished vaccinating in the Netherlands in the summer, so that is also allowed with a negative test certificate, but it must also be available to everyone,” said D66 MP Sjoerd Sjoerdsma. “Take a young family with three children who want to go to the campsite. They see the costs for their holiday increase for expensive tests. This creates a division in society and we should not want that.”
Paying for tests would cost travelers. “We must prevent that only people with money can still travel, hence our plea for free testing,” said SP MP Jasper van Dijk.
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Negotiations in Europe
The EU countries and the European Parliament are negotiating the exact agreements about the corona pass, which will probably be officially called Covid certificate. Anyone who wants to travel to another EU country can demonstrate with a QR code from 21 June that he or she has been vaccinated, tested negative or has antibodies from a previous infection.
Free testing is also a point of discussion in the European negotiations. The European Parliament would like those who have not yet been vaccinated to be tested for the corona certificate free of charge. But the EU countries themselves decide that, according to the Netherlands and according to a diplomat the other member states as well.
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It also remains to be clear how exactly the pass works, how long the PCR test remains valid and whether one vaccination shot is enough. In addition, it must be clear whether people who have received the Chinese or Russian vaccines will also receive a digital pass. Those vaccines have not yet been approved at European level.
The introduction of the digital pass will also be discussed at the upcoming EU summit of government leaders next week.
Target date
The intention is that the digital corona pass will be ready in time for the summer holidays. The target date is June 21, after which countries will need a few more weeks to implement the pass. The Netherlands is still on track to start the pass on 21 June, says an insider. But countries like Germany, Sweden and Ireland probably need more time.
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