EU member states and the European Parliament have reached an agreement on digital COVID-19 certificates, meaning that travel within the EU could be possible from July 1.
– It was important for the EU to agree on this, says SVT's European correspondent David Boati in Aktuellt.
The agreement made on Thursday on so-called Covid-19 passports now forms the basis for enabling tourists to move between 27 countries within the EU by the summer.
A few details remain, but in general it means that they will come into effect on July 1.
– There is white smoke here in Brussels tonight. It was important for the EU to agree on this. There are some small technical details that need to be refined, but on the whole there is agreement, says SVT's European correspondent David Boati in Aktuellt.
Disagreement on several issues
During the negotiations, there has been disagreement on several issues, including the self-determination of EU countries and the possibility of introducing their own quarantine rules. Something that the EU Parliament did not want.
– Parliament did not have to bow down there, which was completely unexpected. The member states do not want to give up the possibility of being able to control their own pandemic management. As far as possible, the countries should not introduce any restrictions of their own, there should be free movement from July 1. But if there is a new spread of infection or mutation, the countries can introduce quarantine again, says David Boati.
The EU pledges one billion
The member states and parliament also reached an agreement on the issue of PCR tests. The stumbling block there has been who and what should cover the cost.
– The EU is promising to provide one billion kronor to subsidize this. The idea is that they should be affordable and easily accessible. A family going to Crete should not have to spend half their budget on it, says David Boati.
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides commented on the agreement on Thursday.
”"This is an important step towards restarting free movement as safely as possible," she writes on Twitter.
Source: svt.se
