Austria wants to implement the Green Pass as early as April

Even before there is a legal basis at EU level, Austria is pushing ahead with the green passport for those who have been vaccinated, tested or recovered from corona. The legal basis for implementation will be created in the next few days.

The legal basis for the first steps will be set in the next few days, initially only for the test evidence. On the basis of this, the operational implementation could start as early as April, said Tourism Minister Elisabeth Köstinger (ÖVP) on Wednesday by broadcast.

At the EU level, there is currently only one legislative proposal. The digital European vaccination card should be usable from June 1st.

We don't want to wait for implementation at European level, said Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) in the press foyer after the Council of Ministers explaining the move, which he described as a first step and preparatory work for overall European implementation.

Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) wants to present a proposal to the National Council's health committee on Thursday. It is about legal issues and the technical implementation. For the latter, the project order was received by ELGA-Gesmbh on March 12th.

Proof of immunity in June

The procedure is in two stages, according to the Minister of Health: The first stage is the anchoring of the tests so that you no longer need a haptic paper and access options can be enabled electronically (via QR code). This should be completed by mid-April and be ready for nationwide use. The second part is then the proof of immunity for recovered and vaccinated people, which as planned at EU level should come on a broad basis by June at the latest.

According to Köstinger's press paper, when fully expanded, the green passport should be able to contain the following information: a vaccination certificate, test certificates (PCR or rapid antigen test) and a recovery certificate (to be issued at the earliest from the 20th day after the first positive PCR test result). It should be issued free of charge by the EU states to all EU citizens, their family members and to third-country nationals residing in EU states. The validity is intended for the duration of the pandemic.

Certificates should be available digitally and / or in paper form and contain, for example, an EU-wide readable barcode. A high level of data protection should apply, the passport should only contain the most important and COVID-relevant personal data (e.g. identification of the person, vaccine used, batch number, date and place of vaccination / testing) According to Köstinger, there should be no centralized database at EU level. Data is read from national databases and not stored anywhere else, it was stressed.

Köstinger spoke of a successful Austrian advance.

She said, the restoration of the freedom to travel is not only crucial for Austria as a holiday destination, but also for all of European tourism.

The EU's plans

The European Commission wants the digital European vaccination card to be ready by June 1st. It could thus enable trips during the summer vacation. This is what EU Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung before the project was officially presented in Brussels on Wednesday. The evidence should be usable by the beginning of summer, and summer starts on June 1st.

The commission calls the project Digital Green Proof based on the Green Passport for vaccinated people in Israel. Not only vaccinations should be documented, but also the results of approved PCR and rapid tests as well as survived corona infections.

Schinas said, we're getting our European way of life back.

But this should be done in a safe way.

Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders emphasized in an interview with the Politico portal that freedom of movement is one of the central rights of citizens in the European Union. The Digital Green Certificate will enable freedom of movement and mitigate the consequences of the restrictions imposed by the member states. Since vaccination, testing and immunization should be included, the approach is not discriminatory.

However, there is still no consensus in the EU states which doors the proof should open. Austria and other vacationing countries are urging to combine travel facilitation with such a document. Germany, on the other hand, has spoken out against making it easier for people who have been vaccinated as long as few people have a chance of receiving the protective vaccination.

According to diplomats, some EU states are also skeptical of the Commission's approach of adopting a legal framework at EU level partly because this could take a long time.

Schinas said: If we do not introduce this together with a legally binding instrument and interoperable, the private sector will develop solutions and impose them on us.