European Parliament approves digital Covid certificate
The European Parliament announced its authorization of the use of digital Covid certificates within the European Union on Wednesday, saying that it is now up to member states to apply the rules, Deutsche Welle reported.
The parliament voted on Tuesday evening, passing the proposal with 553 votes for and 91 against, with 46 abstentions. The measures will come into effect from July 1 and will last for 12 months.
The proposed certificates would enable more secure travel between EU countries by validating whether someone has been fully vaccinated, has recently tested negative for the virus, or has recovered from the disease. The EU will also provide €100 million ($121.9 million) for the purchase of COVID-19 tests.
The EU parliament website said that 23 countries were "technically ready," and that nine of those were already employing some form of validation certificate.