MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2021) EU member states should coordinate the movement of citizens amid the pandemic, for example, by letting people cross internal borders with a negative PCR test rather than the earlier proposed vaccination passports, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.
Earlier in the day, a European Commission spokesperson said that von der Leyen backed the initiative to introduce common EU vaccination passports that would facilitate cross-border movement of people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"First of all, plain and simply, it is absolutely necessary if you have been vaccinated to have a certificate � this is a medical necessity, therefore, this is the right way to go forward. Of course, it has to be mutually recognized � this is a WHO requirement, so in that we are very clear," von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, whose country is taking up the bloc's presidency this year.
The commission chief reiterated what was said by the spokesperson earlier in the day, namely, that legal and political aspects, including movement rights, need to be discussed at the European level in order for member-states to work out common rules.
"But I think it is also indeed important always to find the right balance. For example, you can always combine either a certificate or a negative COVID-19 test if you did not have access to a vaccination so far. So there are possibilities to find a fair and equal balance to those who have the certificate of vaccination and those who didn't have access so far," von der Leyen said.
Introducing a standardized EU COVID-19 vaccination certificate was a proposal put forward by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a letter to von der Leyen this past Tuesday. Mitsotakis argued this could be a good way to help economic recovery and relaunch entire industries that got halted because of the pandemic.
EU leaders are expected to discuss the proposal at a summit on January 21.
