Debut of EU’s ‘Digital Covid Certificate’; Greece pledges to activate before July 1

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Friday unveiled the EU “Digital Covid Certificate” during a presentation in Athens, an initiative proposed and eagerly supported within the Union by his center-right as a means of facilitating travel – and by extension, the all-important tourism sector in the country.

“The coronavirus acted as an accelerator for the digital transformation of the state. The digital certificate functions as a fast track for the facilitation of travel, which is particularly important for our country, amid the tourist season,” he told EU officials and reporters at the state-affiliated R&D entity.

The actual presentation was made by Minister of Digital Governance Kyriakos Pierrakakis, and attended by the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the Vice President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas.

“Greece is ready to activate the digital certificate earlier than July 1 and we encourage other countries to do the same to avoid the complexity of bilateral negotiations. I believe our intention is not to divide, however, the digital certificate will make a decisive contribution to facilitating travel, especially in the summer, which is the tourism season,” Mitsotakis reiterated.

He also described the “e-certificate” as the “best example of European cooperation.”

“… we call on all member-states to observe deadlines, in order to avoid the complicated bilateral channels that we would have been created if we didn’t have access to this digital tool… Our goal is not to divide citizens. The European digital certificate is nothing more than a fast lane. It will make travel much easier, especially during the summer,” he added.

EC President Michel congratulated the Greek government on its rapid implementation of the Digital Covid Certificate.

He said that the certificate was a major European achievement, as it was crucial to show that Union EU can guarantee the restoration of free movement for European citizens after the pandemic.

On his part, Schinas, who holds the European Commission portfolio Promoting our European Way of Life, said: “The Greek platform for the digital certificate is one of the first to be operational, following the initiative of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in early January, just as (Greece’s) National Recovery Plan for the Recovery Fund was one of the first submitted to the European Commission. This shows that things are going well in Greece.”

Pierrakakis explained exactly how the digital certificate works through the “gov.gr” platform. He clarified that there is a common EU framework that will allow member-states to issue certificates that are inter-operable, compatible, secure and verifiable throughout the Union. He added that travellers also have the opportunity through the Plf platform, if they take a test in Greece, to get the certificate. Finally, he noted that the issuance of the digital certificate was not an easy process, as a verification platform had to be established to prove the certificate’s authenticity.