The president of the European Commission proposed the creation of a European Digital Health passport. The legislative proposal will be presented this month. Features would include proof that the person is vaccinated, COVID-19 test results.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, reported via social networks that the proposal to present a digital health passport would arrive in March. This initiative aims to help reduce travel restrictions within the European Union (EU) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Von der Leyen explained that the digital passport aims to include proof that the person has been vaccinated, COVID-19 test results for those who have not yet received immunization, and more information about COVID-19 and the recovery process. In addition, he emphasized that the safety and privacy of users must be respected.
Countries such as Austria and Greece have requested that other EU member states adopt digital vaccination passports. However, other countries, such as Germany and France, are taking no action as they determine that it is too early to do so, as the effectiveness of the vaccines is still being tested and the discovery of new COVID-19 variants represent new public health challenges.
On the other hand, some large technology companies, such as IBM,have invested in the creation of digital passports to unify data such as COVID-19 test results, temperature scans, among other features. IBM is proposing a passport-based passport to ensure user privacy.
