EU VACCINATION PASSPORT DELAY SEEN

The European Commission's proposal for a vaccine passport - officially called the Digital Green Pass - faces an uphill battle to get off the ground in time for the summer season.

Concerns related to fundamental rights, discrimination, data privacy, technological access, and forgery are poised to become stumbling blocks for the innovative cross-border instrument, the likes of which has never been tried before in the European Union.

After weeks of increasing pressure from tourism-reliant countries, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday that her team will soon put forward a draft law to introduce an EU-wide pass.

A spokesperson later said the objective of the pass will be to facilitate "safe and free movement in the EU" and will apply for both work and tourism.

The concrete details of the proposal will be unveiled later this month and will be followed by, at least, three months of technical work.

Given the notoriously intricate decision-making machinery of the EU, the most optimistic scenario to have the system in place appears to be late June or early July.

What has been already disclosed is that the EU instrument will be a more inclusive version of the much-discussed vaccination passport: besides proof on inoculation, the green pass will also include results of previous COVID-19 tests for those who haven't yet got the jab and medical statements for those who have recovered from the disease (and are presumed to be protected by temporary antibodies).

The pass "will respect data protection, security and privacy", von der Leyen said in her brief announcement.

But all these guarantees might not be enough to quell the doubts and reticence of critics who argue that such certificates will inevitably split citizens into two classes: the inoculated and the vulnerable.

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