EU’s ‘Digital Green Card’ Or Vaccine Pass Scheme

There has been a lot of discussion and speculation around the idea of COVID passports, which on confirmation of a COVID-19 vaccination, would allow people to more freely travel into and out of countries. This topic has been widely discussed, some countries seemingly for the proposal in a bid to re-open their borders and kickstart their tourism industry, others contest the idea on the ground of ethics. As not all people would be able to, (i.e. pregnant women) or perhaps want to take the vaccination, it is an unfair proposal that infringes upon ethics practices and human rights. However, some travel companies have already initiated various procedures in this vein, only allowing passengers to travel with a negative COVID-19 test and also evidence of vaccination. Now, EU leaders have announced plans to present a ‘Digital Green Card’ proposal, which is effectively a vaccine passport scheme. 

European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen announced that she would put forward a legislation for the digital green pass this month, the draft legislation is expected to publish on the 17th of March where the details of the format will also be revealed. In a Tweet on March 1st, Ursula con der Leyen wrote: 

‘We’ll present this month a legislative proposal for a Digital Green Pass. The aim is to provide:

• Proof that a person has been vaccinated 
• Results of tests for those who couldn’t get a vaccine yet
• Info on COVID19 recovery

It will respect data protection, security & privacy’

Adding in a later Tweet that “The Digital Green Pass should facilitate Europeans‘ lives… The aim is to gradually enable them to move safely in the European Union or abroad – for work or tourism.”

It is expected that the digital passports will be accessible via smart phones, detailing the health status of the individual in question, whether they have received full vaccination and even further information such as test results and whether someone has recovered from COVID-19. The passport could allow unrestricted access to flights, various tourism sectors, festivals and so forth and may also allow a person to avoid ‘hotel quarantines’ in some countries. The vaccine passport may not only allow a person to travel internationally but may also be used inside countries to allow the re-opening of venues and other parts of society, such as bars and theatres. 

As already mentioned, the controversy around these passports is due to the fact that they could allow room for data privacy violations and discrimination. One suggestion is that it could mean that a person who has been vaccinated gets a job over someone who has not been vaccinated. A person may not be able to be vaccinated due to health or personal reasons. It is also unfair for those who are not able to be vaccinated, some regions are still having difficulty accessing vaccinations, and even those countries who have no trouble with vaccine access, the waiting list for one is extensive. 

Dr. Clare Wenham, assistant professor of global health policy at the London School of Economics spoke to The Telegraph stating: “From an ethical point of view vaccine passports are completely unacceptable. You’re going to create a two-tier system and history shows that when you create division within society it leads to civil unrest. It’s vaccine apartheid.”

Some countries are already for the idea of vaccine passports. Greece and Spain, who rely heavily on international tourism, have been campaigning for the introduction of a EU-wide passport. Denmark and Sweden have already announced that they will introduce such a passport, Sweden requesting an international standard from the EU or World Health Organization to allow a universal passport across borders. 

The UK government, although no longer part of the European Union, have not been clear on their stance on the COVID passports, one member of parliament suggesting they could be on the table, another rejecting the idea completely. The Health Secretary Matt Hancock, commented on the EU’s proposal saying that the UK was working with international partners on the topic, stating:

“The EU is part of those discussions, as are several other countries around the world, and it’s obviously important work… What I’d also say is that, in a sense, this already exists because you need to have a test before you can travel to the UK. As far as I understand it from the details set out today, the EU proposal is that certification includes both whether you’ve had the vaccine and also whether you’ve recently had a test for those who can’t get vaccinated yet, which is obviously particularly important. Therefore, it’s something that we’re working with them and others on and it matters that we get the details of this right for international travel.”