More than a million EU citizens have received digital COVID certificates since the system was launched in the test mode on June 1, the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, said on Tuesday.
"More than a million citizens have already received this certificate," Reynders said in a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, adding that more people will receive it in the coming weeks or months.
The commissioner said that some member countries have begun to issue these certificates in the pilot version, adding that everything possible is being done to guarantee the smooth functioning of the system across the bloc. In addition, Europe is discussing the possibility of implementing this system with other nations.
The European Commission explained that the measure was implemented not to restrict movement within the EU, but to facilitate it.
“Thanks to the joint commitment of the EU institutions, the certificate will make it easier for EU citizens to exercise their fundamental right to free movement everywhere in Europe from this summer onwards,” Reynders said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Digital certificates serve as proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, recovered from the disease, or tested negative for it. The system will officially begin to function on July 1, the certificates will be valid for 12 months.
The EU Council also recommends that member states allow the entry of foreigners who were vaccinated two weeks before the trip with coronavirus vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency or the World Health Organization.
