Vaccination passport: will Europe escape the cacophony?

AFP

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EUROPE – Sensitive subjects are multiplying like variants on the table of European leaders. They are meeting by videoconference on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 February for an “extraordinary” European Council. In addition to an important geostrategic point with the organization of the NATO summit this year in sight and an ever-strong concern about what is happening in the Mediterranean, the coronavirus crisis will occupy “the largest part of the discussions”, informs the entourage of Emmanuel Macron upstream.

While the criticisms (more or less founded) fuse on the role of the European Union in the crisis, the Élysée enumerated the various points to be tackled on the only health aspect, of the necessary “acceleration” of the vaccination campaign – “A common priority” – to the new tools which are being studied, such as “Europe of health” recommended by the European Commission. A particularly sensitive issue depending on the country (including in France) will also be addressed: vaccination certificates, intended to facilitate travel within the EU.

A hot topic since it affects the movement of people within the Union at a time when several countries, including Belgium, have already tightened restrictions at their borders. In addition, Greece and Cyprus have already concluded an agreement with Israel allowing tourists from the Hebrew state to come with a “green passport”. At the same time, the southern countries, whose economy is very dependent on tourism such as Spain and Italy, are pushing for the adoption of such a device.

“The worst would be for each state to have its own certificate”

If nothing should be decided at this summit, the divisions are already there. And on the Paris side, these individual initiatives undermining European solidarity are annoying. “We must stop deciding before coordinating”, we whisper at the Elysee, considering that it is perhaps rushed to launch into this divisive debate at a time when the overwhelming majority of the population European Union is (still) not vaccinated. The fault, among other things, of the delays in delivering doses.

But at the same time, The world tells us that the Head of State is thinking more and more about this option, notably via the TousAntiCovid application. Still according to the daily, the risk of a European cacophony is also taken seriously in Matignon: “there may be countries that wish to impose it, we can not help it! But it is not conceivable that we, we impose it on the French before vaccination is completely accessible ”.

Another reason for caution on the French side, the unknowns that remain around vaccination. “The question is also to know how long the certificate can be valid when we have no data on the duration of immunity offered by vaccines”, underlines the presidency.

From the end of January, the President of the European Council Charles Michel had pleaded for the establishment of this “vaccination certificate” at European level, while underlining the democratic difficulties that this question raises. “If we reach our goal [70% de la population vaccinée d’ici l’été NDLR], this will mean that 30% of adults will not be vaccinated this summer. Is it fair to make the certificate a privilege and forbid others to travel? ”He wondered about Europe1.

On the Élysée side, we believe that everything is a question of time and method and that the challenge is not insurmountable, on the condition of playing the game of “Europe of health” advocated by the head of the state. In other words, to think of 27 instead of going it alone to save the furniture in your own country. This will necessarily imply the integration of the “same data” in this health passport, to ensure “interoperability” on a European scale. “The worst thing would be for each state to have its own certificate,” warns an Elyos adviser. For the time being, and while spring is coming quickly and the Council must not decide on this question, this is indeed what seems to be emerging.

See also on The HuffPost: From Russia to Burma, the EU is increasing international sanctions … without much result?

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