The EU is on track to receive enough Covid-19 vaccination doses to inoculate 70 per cent of its adult population by the end of July, and the member states can join its travel certificate system from mid-June, the European Commission has announced.
Delivery estimates released to EU leaders as they convened in Brussels showed the bloc was on course to receive more than a billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of September, more than enough to fully vaccinate its population of 446 million.
In joint conclusions the 27 national leaders noted that vaccination campaigns had “accelerated across the EU” and that this would “allow for a gradual reopening of our societies”.
By the end of May, 46 per cent of the eligible EU population will have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to figures from European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who said she expected a decision by the European Medicines Agency on whether to clear the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine in use for 12-15-year-olds soon.
The commission chief announced that next week the technical infrastructure of the EU’s vaccination pass system would be ready, allowing for digital proof of vaccination status to be recognised across the EU, with member states able to join into the system from mid-June.
"Citizens will now be able to use a mutually recognised certificate wherever they travel in the European Union, " she told journalists.
“Member states have the key and the urgent task of making sure that their national health systems are fed with the information of citizens’ health status so that the certificate can be issued,” she added.
“It is still a lot of work, but I am optimistic that we are getting there.”
‘Full steam ahead’ – in July
The system is designed to allow individuals to show whether they have been vaccinated, tested negative for Covid-19 or have recovered from the disease, and it is up to member states to set health rules that will apply to arrivals.
Earlier, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said it was "full steam ahead" for the vaccination pass system after a political agreement on it was reached by the EU last week, though the Irish Government has indicated it will not join the system until mid-July.
While member states with economies that are reliant on tourism have been impatient to resume travel, with Greece indicating it would implement the digital vaccination pass system from June, and Spain opening to travel from the UK, other countries have been more cautious.
The spread of the so-called Indian variant in Britain, which is considering new local restrictions to curb infections in hot spots despite a higher level of vaccination, is being carefully watched in the EU with leaders warning that vaccine-resistant strains could pose a threat to reopening.
“We need to stay vigilant regarding the emergence and spread of variants and take action as necessary,” the leaders stated in their joint conclusions.
Nevertheless, they agreed to “revise” travel rules within the bloc by mid-June, “with a view to restoring free movement in the EU”.
The leaders agreed to donate more than 100 million doses of vaccines to poorer countries, in the wake of a pledge by the United States to donate 80 million, and said they would work to develop local manufacturing capacity and continue support for the vaccine access scheme Covax, to which the EU has donated €1 billion. Various EU leaders have expressed doubts about whether a proposal to waive vaccine patents would be effective in increasing production, following a declaration of support for the idea by US president Joe Biden.
