Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1383989
15 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 16 JUNE 2021 EUROPE FROM 1 July, the EU Digital COVID Certificate will be available for all citizens within the European union (EU) – ensur- ing safe free movement. With the public eager to travel this sum- mer, after almost two years of upheaval, MaltaToday breakdown everything you need to know. What is the EU Digital COVID Certificate? Digital COVID Certificate is a one-piece document that can be issued to a traveller both in paper and digital format. Depending on a traveller's status, they will have three different options: a vac- cination certificate which for those in Malta can be accessed at https://certi- fikatvaccin.gov.mt/ from 14 days after the person's second dose. The other two options are a test certif- icate which include either a PCR or anti- gen test depending on the requirements of each individual country or a recovery certificate stating the person has already had and recovered from COVID-19. The idea behind the certificate created by the European Union is to restore the freedom of travel. The Commission in- tends to remove travel restrictions such as entry bans, quarantine obligation, and testing through the certificate. "When travelling, every Digital Green Certificate holder will have the same rights as citizens of the visited Member State who have been vaccinated, tested or recovered," the EU Commission had ex- plained presenting the certificate. The scheme will be fully running start- ing from July 1, 2021, and until June 31, 2022. Does it matter which COVID-19 vaccine I receive? Vaccination certificates will be issued to a vaccinated person for any COVID-19 vaccine. When it comes to waiving free movement restrictions, Member States will have to accept vaccination certifi- cates for vaccines, which received EU marketing authorisation by the European Medicines Agency. Member States may decide to extend this also to EU travellers that received an- other vaccine. How does the EU digital COVID certifi- cate work across the EU? The EU digital COVID certificate con- tains a QR code with a digital signature to protect it against falsification. When the certificate is checked, the QR code is scanned and the signature verified. Each issuing body (e.g. a hospital, a test centre, a health authority) has its own dig- ital signature key. All of these are stored in a secure database in each country. The European Commission has built a gateway through which all certificate signatures can be verified across the EU. The personal data of the certificate hold- er does not pass through the gateway, as this is not necessary to substantiate the digital signature. What information will the certificate contain? Every certificate will contain name and surname, date of birth, the member state issuing the certificate and the QR code. Depending on the status of the travel- ler's additional information may also be provided. Vaccinated travellers The name of the vaccine and manu- facturer, number of doses administered, date(s) of vaccination Travellers Type of test, date and exact time of trial, name of the test centre and the results Travellers who have recovered from the virus Ddate of the positive test result, the name of the issuer of the certificate, date of issuance, validity date. Can EU citizens travel to none-EU countries with the EU Digital COVID Certificate? While the EU is open to global initia- tives at this time, it is unknown whether other countries will facilitate entry re- strictions for those holding EU COVID certificates. The Commission had previously said it was working to make the certificates compatible with those developed in third countries. Summer 2021: Everything you need to know about the EU Digital COVID Certificate This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors' view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Antonio Costa, Ursula von der Leyen and David Sassoli holding up copies of the regulation agreed upon by the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission