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14 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 15 JUNE 2022 EUROPE THE Council of the EU and the European Parliament have agreed on the extension by a year of the regulation establish- ing the EU Digital Covid cer- tificate, according to a June 13 statement. "The extension of the regula- tion will ensure that EU trav- ellers as well as those from third countries connected to the system can continue to use their EU Digital Covid certifi- cate for travel within the Union in member states where these travel certificates are required," the statement said. If the health situation allows, the regulation can also be re- pealed earlier, it said. The digital Covid certificate has played an important role in facilitating the free movement of people during the pandemic, the statement said. The current regulation estab- lishing the EU Digital Covid certificate was adopted on June 14 2021 and has been in force since July 1 2021. It expires on June 30 2022. The regulation establishing the EU digital Covid certificate will be prolonged by one year, until June 30 2023. In addition to the prolon- gation, the co-legislators also agreed on an obligation for the European Commission to sub- mit a detailed report by Decem- ber 31 2022. This report could be accom- panied by legislative proposals to allow for a new assessment of the need to repeal or main- tain the certificate, depending on developments in the health situation. They also agreed on the clar- ification that vaccination cer- tificates should reflect all doses administered, regardless of the member state where people re- ceived their vaccination. Other agreements included the possibility to issue a certif- icate of recovery following an antigen test; the extension of the range of authorised antigen tests used to qualify for a Cov- id-19 certificate; and the possi- bility to allow vaccination cer- tificates to be issued to people participating in clinical trials. The provisional agreement reached on June 13 must now be approved by the Council of the EU and the European Par- liament. EU poised to extend EU Digital Covid Certificate by a year These articles are 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. BORIS Johnson's plan to amend the Northern Ireland Protocol was met with threats of legal action from the EU, a warning from the US to engage in "good faith" talks — and a muted reception even from pro-Brexit MPs. On Monday, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss unveiled the Northern Ireland Pro- tocol Bill, describing it as "a reasonable, practical solution to the problems facing Northern Ireland". A government press release said the measure would "fix" the protocol, which the UK agreed alongside the EU when it left the bloc. Truss told MPs: "It will safeguard the EU single market and ensure there is no hard border on the island of Ireland. We are ready to deliver this through talks with the EU. But we can only make pro- gress through negotiations if the EU are willing to change the protocol itself — at the moment they aren't." Speaking earlier the same day, Johnson insisted the proposals were "not a big deal," telling broadcasters that legisla- tion was a way to remove "bureaucratic barriers" hindering trade from Britain to Northern Ireland. As well as creating a "red lane" for goods destined for the EU and a "green lane" for those remaining in Northern Ireland, the bill would end the jurisdiction of the Eu- ropean Court of Justice on trade disputes. Both of these have been key demands un- ionist in Northern Ireland, led by the DUP. But the move has been met with wide- spread opposition, most significantly from officials in Brussels, who are now considering three different types of legal action. Maros Sefcovic, the vice president of the European Commission and Brussels' chief negotiator, said the UK's move was of "significant concern", and that the UK's "unilateral action is damaging to mutual trust." He said the commission would consider restarting an "infringement procedure" that had been on hold since September, and would take unspecified new action "protect the EU Single Market from the risks that the violation of the Protocol creates". Sefcovic warned that if the UK pushed ahead with the legislation, it would un- dermine "the trust that is necessary for bilateral EU-UK cooperation within the framework of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement" — a veiled threat signalling a potential trade war. The UK plan was also criticized by Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O'Neill as "absolutely reckless". Speaking to the BBC, Northern Irish trade associations also warned about the potential impact it may have on business- es in the region. The US held back from picking a side in the dispute, though Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday urged told Truss "to continue good faith negotia- tions with the EU to reach a solution that preserves the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement," according to a State Department readout. Boris Johnson's plan to 'fix' Northern Ireland Protocol meets with EU opposition Boris Johnson's plan to fix the protocol was unveiled on Monday